Battle Nexus Chaos
by FoxKid1302
Summary: The turtles entered the Battle Nexus Tournament once more. They were pitched against... Wait, WHAT? Ninjas from Konoha who were sent to kill them? What's wrong? COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

The dim candle light lit up partially a face of a woman. She was staring at a man across her desk as he squinted his eye to read something from a scroll. He asked:

- Are you sure about this, Hokage-sama?

- Positive. Your team is the most suitable one for this mission. The Daimyo wouldn't even ask for me if he can help it, but clearly this nuisance had bothered him for too long.

- I understand - the man rolled up the scroll and put it in the pocket on his vest - I will gather my team so we can depart at dawn.

- Good! Just make sure that _they_ know nothing about this!

:::

- I can't believe it! - Raph grunted - Can someone reminds me why do we have ta come back here again?

- To have Mikey rub the Battle Nexus trophy to our faces... again - Don sighed.

He too wasn't too thrilled participating in the tournament, especially when his baby brother could brag about how awesome he was non-stop the moment they received the invitation letter from the Daimyo. The only ones seemed happy were Leo and master Splinter, since they got to see their old friends, the Daimyo and Usagi. But even they had limited tolerance for Mikey. And Mikey, well, saying he was hyped was still an understatement.

- Why bother with the tournament, when we all know they're gonna hand me the trophy... again.

- Have you learnt nothing from the last battle you fought in the tournament? - Splinter frowned - Your overconfidence was what got you in trouble in the first place.

- No sweat master Splinter, I got it all covered. I'm not overconfident, I just feel confident enough to bring back one more trophy of the Battle... Ow!

Raph couldn't take any more of that and slapped Mikey on the back of his head, shutting him up. Master Splinter was, for once, happy for the interruption. They reached the arena of the Battle Nexus without much difficulty, but getting in was the problem. Somehow this year's tournament had increased the spectator to the arena's full capacity. Luckily the Gyoji had spotted them and took them inside with ease. Usagi and the Daimyo's son were already there to greet them:

- Konichiwa Splinter-san – The rabbit bowed respectfully – I am so glad you and your sons can take part in the tournament. I was hoping that I can finish the battle between me and Leonardo.

- The feeling is mutual, Usagi – Leo smiled – It's a shame the last time we were here it got interrupted by… uh…

He let it hang, darting his eye to the young boy. He was no longer the Ultimate Ninja, thus his memory of scheming the assassination was wiped clean. It's a good thing though, now his father could raise him properly to be a better man. The boy cocked his head:

- Your match was interrupted? By who?

- It's ok. That guy won't be doing any harm soon… uh…

- Call me Ue – The boy bowed – I remember that I haven't introduced myself to you yet. But that time we were in no convenient circumstance.

- Yes, with the Levram's grudge match against my brother, you being held hostage and all – The turtle chuckled.

- I am forever in your debt, Leonardo-san.

The Gyoji cleared his throat to draw their attention:

- In this year's tournament, the great Daimyo had changed the rules. Since much more powerful combatants will enter the match, the preliminary round will be omitted, and each fight will be presented separately to the audience.

With a wave of his fan, the Gyoji transported them all to the backstage, where they could watch other fighter compete. The sight was indeed incredible. A stone giant was pitched against a little humanoid fox. The fox moved at lightning speed, turning itself into a blur, dodging meteor-strike punches from the giant. Each punch dug holes to the arena, which fixed itself the moment the fists were lifted. Raph nudged Don:

- At least this year, some of these guys would shut Mikey up for good without chopping his head up.

- Yeah – Don concurred – I can't stand another moment of him bragging about the trophy… and the medallion.

- Uhm… sensei? – Mikey gulped – Are you going to participate too?

- No Michelangelo – the wise rat smiled – This year will be all yours to shine. Remember the training with the Tribunal. Although you no longer have the amulets, the power within you is still there. Make me proud, my sons.

Turning to the Gyoji, he nodded. The ethereal being waved his fan once more, and both of them vanished, leaving the turtles, Usagi and Ue behind. Leo asked the Daimyo's son:

- Are you going to fight too?

- I'm afraid not. My father has trained me well, but he hasn't allowed me to join the rank of warrior yet. Besides, he said something about this year's competitors.

- What is it?

- I don't know. I overheard him speaking to someone when I came to see him a few days ago, but I didn't hear all of the conversation.

Leo was about to asked more when Usagi put a hand on his shoulder and point up, showing him a large magic screen high in the air. Names were written on it, indicating the next combatants. Don gasped as his name, while Mikey let out a sigh of relief. Raph reassured him:

- Ya can do it Donny. I know we can't do any ninjutsu trick like when we have the amulet and all those mystic weapons. But hey, we can still kick ass, right?

Don strained a smile before being teleported into the ring. In front of him was a human girl, with what probably would be Asian clothing. She carried a big scroll of paper on her back. The girl lightly bowed:

- My name is Tenten. This is my first time entering this tournament.

- My name is Donatello, but you can call me Don – the genius replied with a smile, at least the girl was polite enough – Let's do our best, ok?

- I hope you will, because I go all out from the start.

The sound of the gong cut their greeting short. Time to get serious. Don drew out his bo staff and took stance. He didn't attack her, yet. The gentleman in the turtle was forcing him to let the girl make her move first. Tenten arched an eyebrow:

- A bo staff? Interesting! Then I shall respond in accordance.

Putting the scroll down, she revealed the content to be numerous scribbles and signs that Don couldn't make out. Put a hand on one, she pull out a bo staff that was almost identical to his, except it's made of metal. Kicking the scroll to the side and let it roll itself up, the girl gave it some twirls before charging at a still bewildered Donatello. The genius had only a moment to dodge. Good decision, since where he had been now had a crack as Tenten hit it with outrageous force. Blood drained from Don's face as he slowly back away, brain running at full speed on how to go up against that girl. He wasn't the only one shocked. The spectator roared with cheer, while his brother dropped their jaws:

- Impossible! – Raph yelled – Is that girl even human? No human can hit like that.

- Well… she's probably using her inner strength – Leo guessed, but he too wasn't so sure.

- I don't know bro – Mikey wiped a sweat off his temple – Shouldn't someone can use inner strength be… much older, like a rat we know?

- Do not underestimate the effort one can put into achieving one's goal, Michelangelo-san – Usagi said – That Tenten girl must have trained since she was very young.

The turtles couldn't say anything more than that. They resumed watching Don struggles to avoid the metal staff. So far he didn't even have a chance to breath, let alone counterattack. Outside the ring, a group of three shadows also observed the current match. One of them sighed:

- I told her not to use ninjutsu – The oldest one of them said.

- Well, so far she hasn't used any strong jutsu yet – The second voice, sounded younger, was calmer - She just pulled out one staff.

- But that's specifically described in the mission briefing, and Hokage-sama will surely hear about this. Let's just hope she won't pull anymore of her weapons out.

- She won't need to – The third person spoke up – Tenten is about to finish him already.

In the ring, Don was cornered to the edge. Tenten was slowly approaching him with obvious killing intent. He knew that a metal staff can be lethal, but not deadly. He knew that he'll be teleported out the moment she struck; no harm would be done to him. Yet Don couldn't shake the bad feeling he's having since witnessing Tenten's attack. Something very bad would happen if he couldn't do anything. Unless… It seemed to be a desperate act, but it's worth a shot. Don put his staff to the back, clapped his hands together, and focus. He could feel his ki gathering inside him, but it was very slow, and Tenten wouldn't give him the time he needed. She's already jumped up to ridiculous height in order to deliver the final blow… Come one… Come on… Just a little more…

BANG!

The metal staff hit the ground where Don had been a split second ago. Gush of wind blew dust all around Tenten, telling the girl that he was already behind her. Spinning around, she was startled at the sight: the turtle in front of her was covered in purple stripes, and it glowed. Brought the staff up high, Tenten spun it around to gain momentum before wiping at Don. But the turtle was way faster than before he dodged it with ease. On the other hand, whatever he's done to himself started to take a toll on him. Don was sweating pretty badly, and his breath was ragged. She just had to drag this on a little longer…

Darting for the scroll, Tenten planned to take out another weapon when Don intercepted her. He more or less had some idea about what the girl could do with that scroll. It would be a bad idea for her to reach it. Swung both his fists forward, Don punched right at the staff, intended to break it, but suddenly Tenten twisted its end and pulled it apart, turning it into a chain of weight at his astonishment. Just how much tricks did this girl have up her sleeves? He's almost out of it, no time for calculating move. Don just lunged at her with everything he had left. The crowd went wild as they clashed. In one swift move, Don had brought his fist right to the girl's chin, at the same time received an end of the chain to his temple. The rest of his brother yelled Don's name, at the same time the team of the other girl also scream hers. The two seemed to be frozen for a moment before falling apart, lying unconscious. A gyoji appeared shortly after that, his voice drowned the jeering crowd:

- Both Donatello and Tenten had fallen! This match is a tie! Both…

Everyone gasped as the announcement got cut off. They all turned their gaze to the fighters, where, Don slowly got up, pulling Tenten along with him.

- No… I… I won…

With a nod, the Gyoji corrected his statement:

- Donatello won the match! He will advance to the next round! The next match will be held shortly after exactly one mega quagon!

With that, he vanished, leaving the turtle with the girl behind. Leo, Raph and Mikey jumped to the ring and rushed to him, as well as Tenten's teammates. They were both carried out, but not before Raph shot out the question:

- What the shell happened? Why didn't any of ya disappear? And what's with that girl? She was like, wanna kill ya.

- I think she did, Raph – Leo hissed – Look!

Looking over their shoulders, Raph and Mikey could see that her teammates were glaring at them. Something's not right with this tournament, but one thing was clear: these people spelled trouble for the turtles…


	2. Chapter 2

Right after the match between Don and that Tenten, the turtles along with their friends rushed to seek the Daimyo. A healer was also summoned in the process to check on Don, since the bruise on his temple had started to turn black. Raph almost kicked the door open to the Daimyo's chamber if it wasn't for his brothers to stop him:

- Master Splinter! Don…

- I know, Raphael – Splinter held up his hand to stop the flood of emotion – We have been observing Donatello's match. It was very disturbing.

- Indeed – His old friend concurred – It was just like the time when Michelangelo had his rematch with Kluh. Dark magic is tampering with the rules of the Battle Nexus.

- Ya really gotta do something about it – Raph grunted – Look! If we can't do anything about it, can we just… quit?

- I'm afraid that is not possible, young one – The ruler of the arena shook his head – unless you are defeated in battle, you cannot forfeit.

- That girl was trying to kill Don – Leo stepped up, still holding Don over his shoulder – And I think those people with her are having the same intention. If by any chance we're up against them again…

- Unfortunately, you will my son – Splinter said – They, along with you are the last contestants in this tournament, if not the only one.

- What? – Mikey gulped.

- I'm afraid so, Michelangelo-san – Usagi turned to him – Most of the other contestants have already moved up to the next round. We are the last ones.

- I really don't mind getting some payback for Don – Raph twirled his sais – but if that girl only can get Don ta work up his mystic power only ta beat her, I don't wanna know about the rest of them.

The healer appeared behind them, interrupted the conversation. He motioned them to lie the purple clad turtle down and began to work his magic. The wound faded slowly and the color came back on the genius's face. Leo turned to the wise rat:

- Sensei. I don't know why, but I have a hunch that these people are out to really kill us.

- I have the same feeling, my son. The way Tenten fought clearly shows her determination to take Donatello's life.

- But why? – Mikey asked – We don't even know them. Did Ammag and his men send them?

- That is what I would like to find out – Splinter rose up to walk over Don, now was fully healed – In the mean time, I want you to reach deep within yourselves, to draw out your inner power, just like Donatello did.

- But master Splinter – the orange clad turtle whined – We don't even have the amulet…

- Which did not stop your brother from doing so, even when he was in the heat of battle. All you need to do, Michelangelo, is to focus. The amulet was merely a tool to amplify your ki. The real strength comes from within. Only with that power would help you stand a chance against them.

- Alright, you heard sensei – Leo clapped his hands to draw their attention – Here's the plan. Whoever comes up next will try to stall them for as long as possible, while the rest sneak in behind their back, try to find out as much as possible about them without revealing yourselves. I'm sorry Usagi-san, but I'm afraid our rematch will have to wait.

- I am more than happy to lend you my aid – The rabbit samurai put a hand over his chest – Our match is trifle compared to this matter.

- I will help as well – Ue spoke up.

- No, Ue-san – Leo shoke his head – This is too dangerous.

- I may not join you in battle, but at least I can still provide you safety from ambush. Our family's elite guards are at your disposal.

Everyone seemed to agree with Leo's plan. They excused themselves to return to the ring, leaving the Daimyo and Splinter alone. From the window, a shadow jumped up to join them. It was a man in green spandex, with green protector vest and orange leg warmer. He asked:

- How are they doing?

- Not to worry, Gai-san – Splinter calmly said – Everything is going according to plan. Although I'm afraid your students might have trouble dealing with mine.

- We'll see about that – He smirked, and vanished in a smoke.

:::

In a small inn, just a moment earlier, Tenten was surrounded by her comrades. They worked their best to fix her wound. But their clumsy hands could do little to help. She hissed:

- That turtle really got me good. I didn't expect him to do that. That's not what we were briefed for the mission.

Her comrades nodded in agreement. One of them, a boy with white garment and long, jet-black hair asked:

- Did you observe anything else up close?

- I'm sorry, Neji, but no. I thought your Byakugan could scan them?

- I did, but they didn't reveal anything. I did sense their ki, but they don't have a chakra system in their bodies.

- And when that turtle glowed, his strength and speed seemed to increase – The last boy said. He looked like a younger version of Gai, with bandage cover from his hands to his elbows – It looks similar to the Inner Gates.

- You can't be more right, my beloved student Rock Lee.

From out of nowhere Gai landed on them. Except for Lee, the other two was a little startled. Tenten asked right away:

- How was your negotiation with the Daimyo?

- He will send us a healer, should we receive anymore injury in our next battle. But his term still holds: no ninjutsu whatsoever during the match. As for the turtles, even if they gain more power, we still have our aces here: Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji.

Tenten sighed as that. She's a weapon specialist of Konoha. From close, mid to long range weapons, she knows them all like the back of her hands. The only problem was that she stored them in her scroll. To pull them out for using, she had to form hand seals, meaning releasing jutsu, and that's forbidden as the Daimyo's request. It hindered her fighting ability greatly. But that didn't mean she was out of the game. Not yet.

- Well, I'm out anyway – She stood up – So while Neji and Lee deal with them in the ring, I'll do some of the work behind the curtain then.

- Good thinking, Tenten-kun – Gai gave her a thumb-up – You can use ninjutsu outside the ring. But be careful though, combatants are strictly forbidden to fight except for during a match. If the Gyoji finds out…

- I believe she'll be fine, sensei – Lee clamped one fist to the other's palm – We are shinobi of Konoha, we can do this. While Neji and I bring them to submission on stage, she can work her way to flank them from the back. We'll defeat those turtles for the Daimyo without fail.

:::

The turtles and their friends were back to the arena just a moment before the tournament resumed. Raph, Mikey and Leo were all nervous, since they needed time to work on drawing out their mystic power. Don was right behind them, refused to take some rest. How could he when his brothers faced imminent danger? The Gyoji appeared high above the screen, waving his fan to show the next fighters' names:

MYAMOTO USAGI

VS

HAMATO LEONARDO

Both the blue clad turtle and the rabbit were taken aback. Usagi burst out laughing:

- I can't believe this! Even in this situation, fate still shows her side of humor.

- It works to our favor though – Leo nodded – You and I can stall the match for as long as we want, while our brothers can do some digging around about those people.

The samurai and the ninja vanished into the ring. Usagi unsheathed both his katana and took stance:

- As much as I want to help you, my friend, I can barely contain the excitement of finally having a real match with you.

- The feeling is mutual, Usagi. But let's not carry away with it.

- As long as you won't bore me. I am very intrigued in your new power. Will you be so kind to show it to me?

- Gladly, but I think you have to earn it first.

Leo also drew out his weapons, and they clashed.

In the backstage, Raph turned to his brothers:

- OK, so we got some time, better make the best outta it. I'm gonna go check on those punks while you guys work on yer mystic power.

- I don't think you should go alone – Ue stopped him – If they catch you off guard, it will be the end for you. Some of my guards should escort you.

- No offense, kid, but yer soldiers ain't really trained for stealth. This place's big, there's plenty shadow for me ta hide my shell. Don't worry. I'll be right back before ya know it.

- Take this with you – Don tossed him a shell cell – I switched them to walkie-talkie mode before we came here, so we can call each other even when there's no reception. Just don't go too far though, I haven't calibrated the range yet.

Raph waved to him, signaling that he got the message before melting to the shadow. The remaining turtles sat down where they stood, and started concentrating on their inner strength. There would be more distraction than the cheering crowd when they actually needed it, so might as well began right next to the roaring spectators. Raph, in the mean time, had seen his targets on the other side of the ring, and had snuck up to them. He went around to their back, expecting to eavesdrop something useful. His plan busted though, when Tenten dropped on him as he reached the outside wall, stopping the emerald turtle in his track.

- Don't even think about sneaking up on us – The girl glared at him – We try our best to restrain ourselves, but if you're that eager to be defeated, then I'm more than happy to help.

Great! He failed even before he even executed his plan. But wait! They were all there, all four of them, and Raph made sure that they didn't see him vanished, so how could this girl drop on him like that? Did they have eye on their back or something? Raph pulled out his sais, but Tenten already unleashed her scroll to about a dozen of different weapons. Sickle, kunai, club, dagger… she had them all hovering in mid-air like some wicked magic trick. Raph wanted nothing more than to lung at her, but those weapons really made his stomach churn. She didn't even use her full strength on Don, but now she's ready to kick ass, and his would be one of them. Raph quickly delved to his belt and threw some smoke pellets. Tenten's arm shot up before the smoke blinded them both. This would give Raph more or less some advantage. He charged forward to his left in order to flank her, only to receive a club right to his chest. Raph fell to his shell, coughing out some blood. Smoke cleared to reveal the weapon girl, one of her hovering arsenals missing. Tenten smirked:

- Smoke bomb? Very effective, but you need to do better than that to stop a ninja.

What? She's a ninja too? From where? With this kind of power, she would have made Karai cry in tear. One thing for sure though, without his mystic power, she'd slice'n'dice him like a bacon. Raph slowly backed away, focusing his ki. Not easy when he's wounded, and the fact that Tenten gave him no time to breath didn't help. She pointed a kunai to his throat:

- Oh no you don't! I saw what your accomplice did back there. I suggest you to stop if you want to keep your head on.

So much for concentrating. Raph swiftly grabbed the girl's wrist and yanked her to the side, adding a kick to her waist. Tenten evaded it with ease as she used the momentum to flip forward, freeing her hand. Raph also shot up and backed away immediately, gaining distance from her. Obviously he wouldn't stand a chance against her. None of his brother could. What would the others do in cases like this?

- What's the deal with you guys? Why are ya doing this?

- You are targets of our mission. That is all you need to know.

- Mission? What mission? Who sent ya?

Tenten was about to answer when Gai's voice came up from the radio in her ear:

- Tenten! Leave him! Come back to us now! The match between the turtle and the rabbit samurai is about to end. But before that, make sure that turtle won't follow you.

Rolling her scroll up to seal back the weapon, Tenten lightly bowed to the stunning turtle before throwing a bunch of kunais attached with exploding tag at his feet. Raph's got only a hair's breathe to dodge before they detonated, blowing him several feet back. By the time he could see through the dust, the ninja girl was gone.

- Better head back to see how the other guys doing… - Raph clutched a hand over his chest, dragging himself back. He really hoped Don and Mikey could master their power fast, if they ever wanted to survive till the end of this tournament.

Both Raphael and Tenten were oblivious to some shadows not very far from where they just had their illegal fight, observing their every single move.

- Everything is going according to plan – They quietly laughed with each other...


	3. Chapter 3

Raph came back just when Don and Mikey finished their meditating. It didn't take a genius to figure out what just happened to their hothead brother. Don gently guided Raph to sit down next to Mikey. Ue had ordered the healer to follow them, so he could be of use anytime. Raph hissed when the wounded on his chest healed:

- Ow! Yer really lucky Donnie. That girl ain't any pushover. She nailed me.

- I can guess that much – Don sat down next to him – What she showed in the ring is definitely not what's she capable of. But why did she have to hold back?

- Beat me – Raph rubbed over his chest – How's Leo doing?

- Until now, still nothing. He and Usagi are on par with each other. Now we just have to wait and see who's gonna collapse first.

In the ring, the samurai and the ninja were puffing out breath. Sweat poured out from the rabbit's fur, soaking his cloth. Leo wasn't any better. Naked as he was, he still found the heat they've been working on unbearable. But neither of them refused to give up. For every blow Leo dished out, Usagi responded with another with equal force. One thing was different though, as Usagi danced around the turtle, his moves were executed with elegance and grace. His katana cornered Leo to the edge. The samurai coiled his body:

- My next attack shall be my final blow, Leonardo-san. Unless you want to be eliminated from the tournament, I suggest you to unleash your power.

- You've been practicing – Leo sheathed one of his katana, and held the other steady in front of him with both hands – Alright! You've earned this.

Focusing his ki, Leo could feel the energy swelled up inside him. That burning flame was just as he remembered when he was under the Tribunal's teaching. Without the amulet, it was definitely weaker, but seeing Usagi's eyes lit up and his ears stood on end with excitement, the leader turtle knew he was being covered by lightning blue stripes. Both contestants took stance, but the samurai attacked first.

Swinging the katana to the side, Usagi let its tip screeched a line on the ground, using the building up momentum to strike even harder. What he didn't expect though, was that at the last minute, the katana in Leo's hands suddenly brightened up. The turtle had channeled his ki into his weapon. Raising the sword above his head, Leo let out a roar as he slashed down on the coming sword. The releasing energy butchered Usagi's katana into pieces, and the air pressure riding after that knocked the rabbit to the other side of the ring. The samurai hit the wall hard on his back, then slumped to the ground. Leo gasped. He didn't plan to use the much force on the attack, but then, he didn't even know his own strength. Rushed to the side of his friend, the turtle saw a line of blood from the corner of Usagi's mouth, and the white fur on his chest had been seared into cinder:

- Usagi! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…

- That was… - Usagi clenched his jaws - … incredible. You have nothing to apologize for… my friend. The healer will cure me… but I'd like to keep this battle scar… as a memento of our duel.

Leo's blade chose that moment to shatter. The normal metal couldn't withstand all the mystic energy flowed into it. The Gyoji appeared to announce Leo's victory, then transported them both to where the others were. Leo put down his friend for the healer, then turned to his brothers:

- There goes another of my katana. So? How's the investigation go?

- The good news: we're still in one piece – Raph said – The bad news: Mikey and I are next on the plate. The girl didn't pull all her tricks, and I got nowhere near them ta know a thing about the others.

- That's not good – Leo stated the obvious – And we still don't know why they're here to kill us.

- I think there's a bigger scheme here – Don frowned – If they were sent to kill us, they could have done that much easier while we're outside, away from the eye of people. Apparently they are much stronger than they show in the match, so why limit themselves 'on stage'?

- Good question, I think…

They wouldn't know what Leo thought about the matter, for at that moment, the magic screen shone again, and name of the next combatants appeared:

HAMATO RAPHAEL

VS

HYUUGA NEJI

- Oh, shell! – Raph hit his face with his palm.

- Raph – Leo put a hand on his shoulder – Just remember to maintain concentration. Ue! I think we'll need the healer later. Don! You're with me! We need to get to the bottom of this as fast as possible. And Mikey! Stay here and keep an eye on Raph.

They all nodded before Raph was teleported to the ring. Before him was the boy in white. Except for his black hair, he was white to the point it stung the turtle's eyes. Even the boy's eyes were also white. Was he blind?

- I observed the match of that blue clad turtle, your accomplice is… quite peculiar.

Again with the 'accomplice'. Tenten called Don by that, too. What were they? Criminals?

- What's so weird about Leo? And the word is 'brother', not accomplice – Raph growled.

Neji's eyes widened a bit at the information. He shouldn't be that surprise, since there were four of them, and they looked similar to each other. Still, in the dimension where human like he and his team were scarce, it was rare to find a quadruplet of giant, three-fingered, talking turtles. The gong interrupted their unfriendly conversation. Raph drew out his sais and lowered his shoulders, waiting for the attack to come. But Neji calmly glided a foot forward; his toes barely touched the ground. He held up his hands in a relax position, waved for the turtle to strike first. Raph would have charged at him, if it weren't for the boy's eyes that held him in place: veins popped out around them to his temples, like when bodybuilders flex their bodies so hard their veins pop out. Seeing almost every weird things in the world, Raph still flinched a little as the sight of that. Neji smiled at the hesitated turtle:

- Come, Raphael! My mission is to eliminate you. But you and your brothers' power made me want to test my strength against them. This _is_ a tournament after all.

Now that pushed right at the hothead's button. Raph wanted to shot back something, but seeing that he stood no chance as he was now, he closed his eyes and focus. He should consider himself lucky, since the guy who wanted to take his life was being so generous and provide him a fighting chance. Raph used to use his anger as fuel for his strength, but today, he'd make an exception. This was no joke. Like hell he'd let those creeps hurt his family. He couldn't have that. They'd have to walk over his dead body to reach his bros. Feeling the heat poured out of his muscles, Raph opened his eyes to see flaming stripes all over his body. It's faint, but at least he could muster up his mystic power.

Neji patiently waited for his opponent. As much as he wanted to complete his mission, the strange ability of these turtles made both Lee and him excited. They'd have to apologize Gai sensei later, but right now, not enjoy this fight to the fullest would be very disappointed for him. With the Byakugan, Neji already detected Raphael sneaking around and sent Tenten to intercept him, now that the emerald turtle was in front of him, Neji could take a better look inside the body. Ki boiled from his abdomen, flowing out to every inches of his skin. It was just like what happened with Donatello and Leonardo. But seeing that their colors were different, Neji was curious to see Raphael's ability. He crossed their distance in a heartbeat, wiping his arm like a rope, and struck hard on the turtle's neck.

Raph couldn't even see what just happened, let alone react to it. The palm barely grazed his neck, but the impact came after it was like electric shock. It flung the turtle to the side, arms and legs flailing uncontrollably. Raph landed face down, hard.

- What was that? – He rubbed over where the blow bit. There's no bleed, no bruise, but it hurt like a knife was searing his flesh off.

- Juuken – Neji coiled back to his position, waiting for Raph to stand up. His face showed no expression – It focuses on internal injure. You better be careful for my next strike.

Slowly got up to his wobbly feet, Raph focused his ki once more. There's no way these guys could be normal human. Each ones had crazy abilities. But no matter what, as long as he still breathed, he wouldn't let them lay a finger on his bro.

The white-eyes boy could see the ki pouring out from the turtle in front of him. The previous attack was merely for measuring, but apparently it also boosted up something in his opponent. He let Raph took the initial this time as the turtle lunged toward him. Raph thrust both his sai forward, aiming for Neji's chest, but the boy just batted them away to the side. Adding the inertia force Raph gave him, the Konoha ninja sprung both his palms at the plastron, where he thought the lungs were supposed to be. With that, the turtle would cease any hope to breath.

- That… didn't tickle – Raph gritted.

Neji's eyes widened in shock as a sai came for his face. Pushing the turtle away, he flipped backward, adding a kick to Raph's chin before gaining some distance. What was that? The skin of Raphael suddenly felt rock hard, completely different from just a moment ago. Raph smirked:

- So, at least ya can bleed.

True to his words, Raph had given a gash across the boy's cheek. A red line slowly dripped down. But, instead of getting mad, Neji simply smiled:

- I think it's time we skip the playing part – Neji took a deep breath – Let's get serious.

- Took the word right outta my mouth.

They both dashed forward and collided in the middle of the ring. Raph threw a barrage of punches on the ninja, but he either danced out of the way, or even blocked it without batting an eyelid. It's like punching a sheet of cloth. Neji bent most of the blows' trajectory off him, and also countered with some of his own. Air sizzled around them as it got torn apart from their attacks. Raph could hear the audience roar with cheer, but the loudest sound he could make out was the voice of his baby brother in the backstage, encouraging him. It fired him up even more, and he started to push the long haired boy back.

Neji was beginning to sweat. For every four punches Raphael gave him, he could only answer with one. And his strike felt like hitting on solid steel. Was this the ability of Raphael? To harden his skin so he couldn't be penetrated? He still had plenty of chakra left, but his stamina is depleting greatly. Swatted Raph's oncoming assault away, the Konoha ninja stomped one foot to the ground, and spun like a spin top. Raph was about to land another punch when a wave of pressure blew right at the front of his body.

- Hakkeshou Kaiten! – Neji shouted.

Earth skidded under his feet as he was being pushed back. The whole arena stood up at the sight of a bright light semi-sphere engulfed the boy, blowing Raph to his shell. As the ninja stopped, the sphere also vanished, and a circle of rubble was formed at his feet. The turtle sprung right back up only to find his flaming stripes disappeared.

- It seems you've reached your limit – Neji spread his arms wide to the front and back, lowered his supporting leg – As much as I enjoy our duel, I must finish my mission. You are now in my _divination_.

Before Raph could even react, the boy shouted:

- Juukenhou: Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!

Faster than an eye could blink, Raph receive two strikes by the ninja's fingertips on his front. Almost simultaneously, another two to his side. Neji continued to spin to his back, adding four strikes to the hard shell, buckling the hothead forward. But before his knees could touch the ground, another set of eight strikes landed on his other side, followed short by another set of sixteen. The last thirty-two didn't spare any space on his front. Neji made sure to cover him from head to toe. Raph fell to his knees as the boy withdrew his hands, coughing out blood. The crowd fell dead silent as the turtle landed his face on the ground, immobile. Neji turned around:

- Mission accomplished!

He spoke too soon.

- Not… yet! – Raph's hand shot up to grab his ankle, his eyes bursting out flame – Ya… ain't touching… my bros…

Neji yanked his foot free, walking backward in shock. Up until now, there're only a few people who can survive this jutsu of his, and they all had monstrous strength. Yet, here he was, in front of a creature that didn't even have chakra, and he's still conscious enough to grab him. Neji's brows furrowed:

- I'm impressed that you lived through my jutsu. I'll put you out of your misery right now.

Right at that moment, the Gyoji appeared to halt him:

- Hyuuga Neji won the match! He will advance to the next round!

With a wave of his fan, the entity sent them back to their respective team. Mikey rushed to Raph's side, finding no apparent injuries, yet his brother didn't respond to his desperate call.

- Raph! Come on, bro! Don't scare me like that! What's wrong with him? – He yelled the healer.

- Your brother is suffering internal damage. – Usagi held him back from attacking the healer – He will be cured, but it will take some time, and it will take even more time if you interrupt our helping hand.

Seeing that the orange clad turtle had relaxed, the rabbit let him go so he could call for his brothers. A few minutes later, Leo and Don rushed back. Don almost collapsed at the sight of Raph. The healer reassured them:

- You and your brother are very lucky to have such natural armor – he tapped on the plastron – Be it pure flesh, he will surely perish after that finishing move.

- I heard it from Mikey, but I thought he just exaggerated – Don bit his lips.

- Hey! Raph almost died out there! – The said turtle shouted – Who do you think I am to make a joke out of that?

- Mikey! Calm down! – Leo pushed him back – I know you're worried about Raph, but panic right now won't help. You're the last along with either that old guy, or the younger one in green. Stay focus! I don't want to look at your dead body.

Mikey clenched his teeth and wiped the tear. He could hardly control his sobering, how could he focus like this? But Leo's right. Raph's still alive, the least he could do was to follow the hothead's example. He didn't need to win _this_ tournament. Not anymore. He just needed to survive through it along with his brother… No, no one could mess with his brothers and got away with it. He'd make them pay…

The screen shone once more, drawing their attention:

HAMATO MICHELANGELO

VS

ROCK LEE

Walking past everyone, Mikey gave them a thumb-up over his shoulder:

- Don't worry Leo. I'm going to win this…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I'm really sorry guys for the late update. There was so much going on ever since I graduated and came back. I've been struggling to survive in the past 3 weeks, but now I'm slowly gaining my foothold. I'm writing 2 fic at the same time while having ideas for at least 3 more, not to mention the pile of work waiting for me so thing will get slowed down a bit. But don't worry. This is still not the end of the world for me ^^. Now enough of my babbling, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

_It was barely dawn when Gai-sensei called for them. They gathered in their usual meeting spot, waiting for their former sensei, now fellow shinobi. He showed them the newest mission:_

_- Look alive, my youthful students! – Gai shouted – Hokage-sama just assigned us a very important mission, ranked S._

_- S? – Tenten gasped, those missions at such rank were usually very dangerous – I can't believe it! She finally sees our true capability._

_- That's the spirit, now here we go – The Konoha's taijutsu expert pulled out the mission scroll and began to read – "Team Gai, consists of Maito Gai, Tenten, Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji are to assassinate a team of four humanoid turtles, under the cover of a hand-to-hand combat tournament named Battle Nexus in a multi-verse dimension. Instruction regarding of how to reach the destination will be given to Maito Gai. The ruler of such dimension, the Ultimate Daimyo will provide assistance and arrange for the turtles to face each member of team Gai. However, during the match, only weapons and taijutsu are allowed to be used, ninjutsu and genjutsu are strictly forbidden. Hyuuga Neji will be positioned as the leader. Team Gai hereby accepts this mission."_

_Gai's beloved students stared up at him, letting the information sink in. Lee pumped a fist in the air:_

_- Yosh! This mission is truly where I will prove to everyone that taijutsu is enough to become a great ninja!_

_- I don't think it's as simple as that – Neji crossed his arms – First of all, Hokage-sama assigned me as leader, not Gai sensei as usual. Second, why bother with a complicate tournament, when it's much easier to use ninjutsu and attack those 'turtles' outside the match, when they least expecting us. And third, if the so called 'Ultimate Daimyo' is the ruler of that multi-verse dimension, shouldn't he have some personal force that can take care of this?_

_- Sharp observation as always, Neji-kun – Gai gave him a sparkling smile – But we are here to accept the mission, not to question it. The mission only restricts us to taijutsu, which is our team's strongest point. It didn't say anything about how we carry it out, during or outside the match._

_- Which means we can set up ambush for those creatures in that 'Battle Nexus' – Tenten sprung out a set of kunai just for show – Leave it to me! They won't know what hit them._

_- Hm… I think, as leader, that we should participate in the match first. We need to estimate the creatures' abilities before coming up with a plan._

_- That only works for you, Neji-kun. I'm not exactly an expert in taijutsu like you two._

_- Not to worry, Tenten-kun – Gai patted her shoulder – According to the information Hokage-sama gave me, you are allowed to use weapons. It won't be a total lost._

_- I guess so… Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going already!_

…

Neji felt the solid ground under his feet when he was teleported back to his team. He looked to his sensei:

- I'm sorry, Gai-sensei. I couldn't finish the turtle in time.

- There will be plenty more chance for us to finish the job later, Neji-kun – Gai gave him a pat on the shoulder – Now rest, you have done your part.

- I wonder… - Neji let his eyes trailed off to Lee, who was bouncing where he stood in excitement.

When they first met the Ultimate Daimyo, they were told that these creatures were merciless, vicious, and not to hesitate when taking them down. But now, seeing the turtle named Raphael reacted to how he and his brother would meet their end, Neji felt something… off about the mission. He walked up to Lee:

- Lee-kun. Your match is next. I know you will do your best as the mission requires, but I want to ask you a favor.

- Anything, Neji-kun.

- I need you to hold back, not to kill the next turtle.

- Why not? I thought the mission…

- I have a feeling that we've left something out – Neji frowned – 'A ninja must see underneath the underneath'. I want to investigate more about these turtles before we continue with the mission.

The recited lesson seemed to calm down the boy in green. He looked down to where the turtles were, across the ring. His eyes widened as what he saw, then he muttered:

- I understand, Neji-kun. I will not kill my next opponent.

- Good. Just rid him off the tournament.

Those were the last words Lee could hear before being teleported to the ring. In front of him now were Michelangelo, a turtle with orange bandanna. He gently bowed:

- Greeting. My name is Rock Lee. This is my first time participating in this tournament, so please take care of me.

- I'll take care of you alright – Mikey pulled out his nun-chucks – I'll get all of you for beating up my brother.

Lee looked him straight in the eye, then raised up his thumb:

- I saw you gave your brother this pose before entering the ring. Do you know what this means?

- What's this now? A riddle?

Lee was about to answered when the gong signaled their fight. Stretched to his usual pose, Lee held up his hand:

- I think we have a misunderstanding. I will explain the meaning of that pose after we finish this.

- Whatever.

Mikey snorted and started to focus. But he hadn't reached his mystic power when Lee was inches from his face. Left with no time to react, the orange clad turtle received one full blown hook right at his chin. He made one perfect arc before landing on his shell with a loud klunk. Gritting his teeth to bite back the pain, the chucks wielder concentrated on his power right where he was left. Lee gave his opponent no time to rest when the boy dashed forward, sweeping his feet to Mikey's head. The impact never happened when the human's feet collided with nothing but air, at the same time a gush of wind blew him several steps back. Lee widened his eyes as the turtle before him, shining with orange wind mark. Mikey tightened his grip around his chucks:

- Okay green boy, let's dance!

In one swift puff of smoke, Mikey vanished from vision. The crowd stood up screaming at the disappearing turtle for abandoning his match, but they fell dead silent when Lee suddenly got knocked to the side. People could barely make out a green and orange blur circling around the human boy, occasionally dove in for a strike. Bruises and scars started to form on his body. But Lee was far from giving up.

Spinning to the side to avoid another onslaught, Lee quickly removed something inside his leg warmers. The objects landed heavily on the ground, creating cracks on it. The boy bent backward to evade another attack, then he too disappeared from view. Now there're two blurry green lightning bolts zipping inside the ring, causing the spectator to go wild. But since Mikey was more orange than green, they could still make out that he had the advantage. Using the wall of the ring as foothold, he ricocheted back and forth, ramming his shell head on with his opponent. Each collision sent visible shockwave to the air and made the crowd cheer at the top of their lungs. Neither seemed to exhaust since they both sped up, each of their step left mark on the ground, which was too much for the ring's regenerate ability. With one more clash, both the turtle and the human in green shattered the whole thing. As the dust dissipated, people saw Mikey and Lee in an arm lock, one trying to break free from other's grip. Sweat pouring out made the terrapin's skin become slick, but he had a good grab on the boy's spandex. Glaring up, he found a pair of burning coal staring back at him.

- You fought well, Michelangelo-kun, but I'm afraid I have to remove you from this tournament.

- To finish off me and my bros? Over my dead body! – Mikey clenched his fist around Lee's wrist.

- I'm truly sorry, but I've received my order, and I have to carry it out.

Lee closed his eyes while still maintaining his firm grip. Mikey was unable to shake him off as he felt the air around them move, at the same time Lee's human skin started to turn into a shade of red.

- Lee! No! You can't use that now! – Tenten screamed from outside the ring, but her voice was drowned in the sea of cheer.

Veins popped out from all over the boy's body, making Mikey's stomach churned. This was definitely above anything a normal human can do. But before he could figure out a plan, Lee suddenly released him:

- Shoumon! KAI! – The boy shouted, and sent a shockwave to his surrounding, knocking the turtle flat on his shell.

Mikey gasped for air at the sight before him. A small whirlwind blew out from the boy in green, fluttering his hair upward. His whole body shone with a faint green light. Faster than an eye could blink, Mikey found himself flying parallel to the ground as Lee flanked him from the side. He couldn't even know what just happened, let alone react to it. Somehow his human opponent just had his strength, speed and pretty much everything else multiplied at least ten times. All the beaten turtle could do was curled up, coiling his limbs around him to provide as much protection as possible from the onslaught. His shell just received a bone cracking kick, sending him flying toward the sky. He heard Lee's voice screaming behind him:

- Prepare yourself, Michelangelo-kun! You gave me no choice but to do this!

Lee released the bandage around both his arms, letting them flying free. With a twist of his wrists, the bandage coiled itself like snake around the turtle, binding him in a dead grip. The crowd's shouted in terror as they saw Lee held his tied up opponent in a reversed bear hug, and they both pummeled to the ground below, spinning like a bullet shot out of a canon:

- OMOTE RENGE! – The shout of Lee's voice rose above the crowd as he drove them both to the finishing blow.

With the world spinning to a blur around him and the ground coming for his head, Mikey frantically reached for his depleting mystic power once more. He flexed all of his muscles, hearing them scream from the overexert use and also the ripping sound of fabric. They were so close to impact when Mikey could free his arms…

Looking up, he could see the spinning ground approaching…

Letting out a roar, he broke his legs free…

Leo and Don were screaming his name… He could see a piece of brick pointing at him…

He elbowed the figure behind him with all the strength he could muster… The grip had loosened…

KABOOM!

Debris clouded everyone from the result of the blow, but they could see a green figure jumped out from it. Lee landed and instantly fell to his knee, his hand gripping his side. The turtle must have broken a rib. But he couldn't rest yet. His technique had failed, that meant he's vulnerable now that he had used up all his chakra. Scanning around, he spotted a jet of orange light shooting at him and dodged by a hair's breath. Mikey panted, one hand extended as the source of the energy bullet:

- You won't touch ANY of my brothers. Not now… not… ever…

Drained from what's left of his strength, the turtle collapsed. Then and only then, Lee let himself relaxed. The Gyoji appeared from thin air, and with a wave of his fan, restored the ring to its original shape:

- Rock Lee had won the match. He will advance to the next round. That concludes the tournament for today. It will be resumed tomorrow at dawn.

Both were teleported back to their own team. Tenten slapped her green teammate senseless:

- You idiot! That technique could kill you both! How many times do we have to repeat it?

- No, Lee-kun's decision was correct – Neji came to his defense – that turtle was provoked by our intimidation over his 'brothers'. He fought with everything he's got, so it's just proper that Lee-kun respond in kind.

Lee said nothing, only raising his thumb as agreement. Looking up, he saw his sensei staring at him with watery eyes:

- Lee… my student… you have done so well… I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!

Tenten ran a hand over her face as she witnessed Gai hug his favorite student, not caring much that he was suffocating him…

- Now that we've finished for the day – Neji turned to the turtles' direction – Let's do some investigation while letting Lee-kun rest up…

From the other side of the ring, Don ran a hand over Mikey's head, resting his forehead on his brother's:

- Thank god you're just exhausted. You did good Mikey… You did good… Now rest…

- I'm sorry, Donnie – Mikey's voice was barely more than a whisper – If only I focused more…

- Stop talking now Mikey – Leo held his hand – You've done your part. Now it's our turn. We'll protect you and Raph, even if it's the last thing we do!

Deep in the shadow, a pair of dark figures was observing the two teams. They didn't look too pleased:

- It seems we have to take matter to our own hands…


	5. Chapter 5

Mikey and Raph were immediately moved to the infirmary, where the turtles met with Splinter and the Daimyo. The healer didn't look very happy.

- Your brother Michelangelo is in no harm. He just exerted himself too much – He explained – But I cannot speak the same for Raphael. On the surface, it seems no harm is done to him, but on the inside…

- He is hurt badly – Splinter concluded for him – Neji Hyuuga's fighting style concentrate on inner injury. Right now Raphael is suffering for the wounds inside his body, hidden from naked eye.

The rat's tail whipped around anxiously. This was far from what he expected. Splinter hoped that Raphael would heal properly. As for his other sons…

- It's payback time – Leo slammed his fist to his palm – I can't let this drag on any longer.

- What do you want to do, young Leonardo? – The Daimyo asked – You know you are not allowed to fight outside the match.

- We will find out who's the mastermind behind all this – Don answered for him - From what I've seen from them, they don't… look so bad. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.

- Very well, my sons. But you must go together. I do not wish to see any more of my sons end up here, or worse. I will…

The old rat got cut off when he saw his hothead son rose from the bed, flaming mark burnt over his head.

- I… I'll go with ya… - Raph panted.

- That's out of the question, Raph – Leo pushed him back down – You can barely sit up, let alone fight.

- Forget it – Raph swatted his brother away, the red mark continued its travel down his shoulders and chest – I ain't lying around here while ya get yer ass kicked.

For once master Splinter forgave his emerald son's language. The blazing passion pouring out from him just showed how much he cared for his brothers. However, in his condition, doing anything other than rest is fatal. But…

- Look. I ain't feeling any pain, alright? – Raph rose completely to his feet, the mark swirled its finishing touch down to Raph's toes – I've been concentrating on this ever since that girly boy kicked the shell outta me, and look what I got.

The healer put a palm on his plastron, examined him through his power. He turned to everyone with a confused look:

- I… I do not understand. He was severely injured. But now…

- Perhaps it is thanks to this mystic power he possess, healer-san – Ue observed the turtle closely – It boosts the recovery.

- It is your mystic power, young one – The Battle Nexus lord mused – Each one of you has your own special ability that fits your personality most.

Raph turned to Leo, the fire of determination burning in his eyes. The leader could easily activate his own mystic ki to suppress his brother to rest, but he knew better. Even with Don's help, there's hardly a chance he could go against that ninja team when they had to clash. Taking a deep breath, he nodded:

- Alright, you can go. But if anything goes wrong, you'll go back immediately, even if it's mean leaving any of us behind.

- Can't promise ya anything, but I'll do my best.

At that moment, Mikey stirred in his sleep, and his brothers rushed to his side in a heartbeat. Don held his wrist to check the pulse:

- It's weak, but at least his pulse is stable – Don gently settled the arm to Mikey's side – All he need is rest.

- I heard that.

The orange clad turtle peeled his eyes open. He turned to the hothead:

- Raphie… You should stay here… What if those ninjas come back…?

- They gotta walk over me ta hurt ya, bro. And I need ta get ta them first before they get ta ya.

- But…

- No 'but'. Just rest! Everything will alright.

The younger turtle knew he couldn't shake Raph's will once he set his mind on something, so he could only squeeze the emerald hand and whisper:

- Bring me back a souvenir, ok?

Raph felt the corner of his mouth curved up a little. Leave it to Mikey to lift their spirit. Still, the heavy atmosphere lingered when his eyes trailed off to the wound on his little brother. All the mystic power granted him were speed and stealth, not the kind that could be used against a frontal attack. The other boy, Rock Lee, rivaled him in speed, but in strength, the difference was like heaven and earth. He needed to be avoided, or taken down, at all cost.

:::

Three shadow figures faded in and out of the dark under the moonlight. The inn that Neji's team was staying was not far from the Daimyo's castle. But in order to reach the infirmary where the turtles were supposed to be and to avoid being seen, they decided to take the longer route around the other side. The forest trees shrouded them from the guards, or anyone else that happened to look in their direction.

- I saw them! – Neji announced the moment he activated his Byakugan – They're on the move. That way!

Tenten and Lee quietly dashed after him on the ground while he jumped from branch to branch, covering the whole area with his eyes. Without the chakra in the turtles' bodies, all Neji saw was the blurry ki emitted from them, and so was everyone else. What puzzled him was how close those creatures were to the Daimyo without harming him when he was in the infirmary. Taking their strange power into consideration, he doubted the lord's army could pose any threat against them. They could take over this Battle Nexus realm without much difficulty, or achieve whatever goal they wanted. So what's preventing them? And most importantly, why was the Daimyo's ki so close to them without reinforcement? Neji needed to confront these turtles, to answer all these questions. What troubled him most was his sensei's reaction…

…

_- I need you to tell me something, Gai-sensei! – The Hyuuga asked the moment they returned to the inn._

_- Anything, my youthful student. – Gai gave him a thumb up and a sparkling smile._

_- Did Hokage-sama tell you anything more about these turtles?_

_The reaction was almost instantly. Gai's body went rigid, his eyes widened twice their normal size, then just as fast as it came, he went back to his normal face._

_- Nope. The information in the mission briefing is all I know – the taijutsu expert answered flatly._

_Neji didn't buy any of it the first time he asked. Gai-sensei was obviously avoiding him. But drastic times call for drastic measures;_

_- Gai-sensei, as leader of this team for this mission, I order you to reveal any information regarding our targets._

_- I cannot._

_Neji couldn't be any more shock, and he wasn't the only one. Lee yanked him by the shirt:_

_- Neji-kun, apologize to sensei immediately! How dare you speak to him with such disrespect?_

_The Hyuuga boy didn't say anything. He observed his sensei a moment longer, then lightly bowed:_

_- I apologize for the rude behavior. You are dismissed, sensei._

_With a curt nod, Gai turned and walked away._

_- What's wrong with you? – Tenten crossed her arms – Lee's not the only one shocked. Care to explain?_

_- Of course – Neji said with a half-smile – Think deeper! Why did he react that way? And why didn't he force us to complete the mission right away? Where is his normal enthusiastic?_

_His teammates were lost to his words. Tenten and Lee were still angry at him for the way he spoke to their sensei. Neji went on:_

_- He couldn't answer me because my order only carries my authority as leader for this team, Jounin at the highest, which means someone with higher status than me forced him to keep silent, the ANBU… or Hokage-sama._

_Without stopping to see the shock in his audience's faces, he continued:_

_- As for the mission, he didn't push us because that is not the true objective. He wants us to figure out the true goal, hidden behind the assassination of those turtles. If you want proof for what I said, follow me tonight…_

…

- I'm really confused here – Tenten whispered to her green teammate – I know Neji-kun really want to solve this mystery, but can he do that without going head on to these creatures?

- I believe his decision was correct, Tenten-san – Lee answered with his eyes still looking forward – I felt the same when I fought Michelangelo-kun. He's not a bad person… turtle. Everytime we traded blows, the determination to protect his brothers vibrated from him to me.

- Well, I hope you guys know what you're doing. The last thing we need here is…

- TENTEN! LOOK OUT!

Neji shouted from somewhere above them, but it was too late.

An explosion erupted from the ground right in front of the girl, knocking her flat on her back. Lee skidded to a stop only to find a net sprung up from below, encased him dangling in mid-air. Neji concentrated chakra to his hand and cut off the rope, dropping the boy in green. When they turned around looking for the kunoichi, she was gone.

- Neji-kun, what's happening? – Lee yanked Neji's shirt – Where is Tenten-san? How could you not see these traps?

- I… I didn't see them – Neji was also shocked at his own answer, while Lee slowly released him – There's nothing around you until a second before that explosion. Something blocked them from my Byakugan.

Focused all the chakra he had into his eyes, Neji thoroughly scanned the area. The darkness surrounding them revealed nothing, but his other senses told him that there's something lurking around. Something that had no ki, but full of evil desire and it was it that took their friend away. One thing the Hyuuga boy was sure: the kidnappers were not their assassination targets.

- Lee-kun – Neji slowly spoke, his voice a tad of fury – We need to talk to those turtles.

:::

- Are you sure you're alright? – Don asked Raph as he caught up to the emerald turtle.

- For the hundredth time, I'm fine, brainiac!

They've snuck out the castle using the back gate. With Raph's information on Neji's eyes and Don's tip of where they stayed, Leo had formed a plan to confront these wicked ninjas. Knowing that Neji could see them coming a mile away, he didn't bother with fancy tactics, just concentrated on maintaining his mystic power, in case they were forced to fight. Just to be sure, Leo had form the formation to give Raph the best protection and put him between himself and Don, ignoring Raph's grumbling all the way from the infirmary. Raph's body was healed nicely thanked to his power, but it's better to not take any risk. They had discovered the unique ability that Raph and Mikey possessed, but for Don and Leo, it's still a mystery, but if it came to worst, they just had to unleash their power at full force.

- Do ya think we can turn into dragon like this? – Raph suddenly asked.

- If you want to announce them and the mastermind behind all this where you are, then you're welcomed to try – Leo retorted – But I doubt any of us can do that, not without the amplification amulet.

- Don't hurt ta try, though. Just feel better fighting them in that form rather than this. Can't believe I say this, but I'd like ta fight them as a dragon rather than a turtle.

- We fight as turtle just fine Raph – Don frowned – And we've got your back, so just take it easy.

The hothead didn't say anything, but he suddenly spun on his heel, lunged himself at Don and knocked him out of the way right when something fell on him. All three immediately gathered around, weapons, readied for whatever came their way. Leo charged his power to the maximum, illuminating the small area they were in. The faint light pushed away the darkness enough to show that they were not alone, that there's something lurking around, waiting for the chance to strike.

- I know this feeling – Don tightened the grip on his bo – It's the shadow assassins. Raph, be careful! They can merge with the shadow.

Only Leo and Don had encountered these dark creatures, but that didn't seem to be much help in their situation. If Leo's sense was right, then they were surrounded by at least thirty of them, overwhelmingly outnumbered. However, they were not who they used to be the first time they came to the Battle Nexus.

- Concentrate on the mystic power, guys! – Leo held his katana steady in front of him, the blade shone with overflowing blue ki – We can take these assassins.

- Who are these goons? – Raph swung out his sai aimlessly, feeling nothing but air – Are they the one attacked ya, Leo?

- Yup. That's them – Leo deflected away a weight chain coming at him.

Daggers, arrows and other unknown projectile weapons fired at them from every direction. Raph's sais were almost useless to cover him, so he focused on the power, and the weapons just bounced off him like table tennis balls. Don spun his signature weapon, creating a shield against whatever the assassins threw at him, and Leo just simply allowed the reflex in his body took over. The dark creatures grown weary after a while and decided to reveal themselves. One of them emerged from the space in the middle of the three brothers, and he kicked Don right out of the circle.

- Donnie! – Raph yelled, spinning on his toes and rammed his fist to the enemy as he sprung after Don.

Leo was left to deal with a hurdle of shadows coming at him. He didn't want to use the remaining katana of his, since the one got shattered by his own power could not be repaired by the blacksmith of the Daimyo. Sheathed the sword, the leader turtle channeled his ki to his arm, causing the lightning mark on them to flicker, and before he knew it, the mark sprang to life as visible electric surging from his shoulders to his fists.

- This should be interesting… - Leo mumbled, and struck the ground in front of him, right when the assassins closed the distance.

The effect was almost stunning, ground cracked to giant boulders under his feet, releasing a shockwave at the dark creatures, blowing them several feet away from the blue clad turtle. The moment they landed hard on the ground, their bodies evaporated into thin air. Leo could feel the presence in front of him faded as the shadows retreated, but the ones behind him were still there, chasing his little brothers. Wasting no time, Leo dashed after them…

Raph stood tall in the middle of the circle, with Don bumping his shell to him. The assassins had done well to separate them from Leo, and after a long time maintaining the mystic state, Raph could feel his stamina draining from him. But neither he nor Don gave up.

- I take it that these bozos are behind all this – Raph grunted.

- No doubt about that. They probably set the ninja team up against us. All we have to do now is to beat the confirmation out of them.

- Now yer talking my language.

The both lunged to opposite direction, right where the enemies were. Raph knocked down two in front of him, jumped up and gave a split kick to take out another bunch before they closed in on him, but when he spun around to punch another one, something clamped down on both his wrists.

- Take this one, he is not fully recovered yet – One of the assassins ordered.

Don could only hear Raph screamed his name before everyone around him vanished, including his brother. Blood drained from his face when all he saw was an approaching Leo, and a piece of paper fluttering in mid-air. Both of them read in horror its content:

_You will do well to kill each other in tomorrow's match, or your friend and brother will never see the light of day again._

From not too far away, two pair of eyes also stared down at a similar letter...


	6. Chapter 6

Raph groaned as his conscious returned to him with a searing pain. It came from somewhere on his arms. The turtles tried to move them, so he could rub the pain away, but he soon realized that his hands were restricted. Raph's eyes snapped open as he sprung up, the handcuff clamped tight on his wrists with a sharp sting.

- So, you're finally awake.

Raph spun to where the voice came from, and saw Tenten right next to him. She was stained with dirt and something dark, similar to dried blood. The girl also had handcuff over her hands. Raph glanced around to see they were in a prison cell. The hothead immediately jumped away and coiled to defend position, but the moment he focus on his ki, a jolt shot through his body and he slumped instantly.

- Stay still, I just want to put this ointment on to ease the bruises – Tenten held out a small cream box – These handcuffs suck every bit of energy out of you, whether it's chakra or ki so don't try to force it.

- Ya could've said that a little sooner. That explained why I blacked out when they strapped this thing on me – Raph rolled to a sitting position – How come ya switch to all buddy-buddy with me now?

- These guys in black threw me in here and you came in not long after that. I suppose they have something to do with us killing each other.

- No kidding. Listen: Yer been set up. These goons are shadow assassins. Me and my bros figured out they're behind all this the moment they ambushed us.

- So it's true. Neji-kun suspected something fishy going on – Tenten smirked, but then her face got serious – But he couldn't predict the ambush. He didn't even see them. They might think you guys set up the attack so you could kidnap me. Your brothers might be in trouble.

Raph jumped to his feet at that. With just Leo and Don, there's no way they could stand against those guys, since Neji's no pushover, and while he didn't have any information about that green boy, his guts screamed at him that he was the strongest of the team. The emerald turtle gripped against the cell bars and gave them some hard shake, hoping to loosen it a little. But his effort was to no avail. The bars didn't even budge, and Raph earned himself another jolt, this time knocked him flat on his plastron.

- Be quiet! – A voice echoed from the other side – Your struggle is futile.

From the dark far away, a door opened. The other side was filled with dime light, casting a glow on the emerging shadow assassin. He looked much bigger than the others that Raph had encountered. His black cape floated in the air as he approached them.

- I take it that you're the leader – Tenten glared at him.

- I am the head of this shadow clan – The leader spoke with a calm tone, but his voice was gruff – I had hoped that you Konoha ninja would remove these thorns from our eyes, but you can't even finish that simple task, worthless humans!

- And you think capturing me would help? – The kunoichi jerked her chin at him.

- You, along with this kame, are merely hostages and pawns in our hands. Your friends will fight to the death if they ever want to see you again – The assassin huffed.

At that moment, Raph stirred back to conscious, and another dark creature came in. He whispered something to the leader, and from the look in his eyes, Tenten guessed that he was pleased from whatever he was hearing. She doubted his good news involved them getting out of here.

- You shall remain here to wait for the news of the kame's demise… or your friends. Either way, it will be us who rises to triumph. Our plan is coming to fruition. Just wait and see.

With that, he faded into the dark, leaving the other to guard them. Tenten helped Raph back on his feet, then dragged him all the way back to a corner, far away from the guard's eyes and ears. Rested the turtle's shell against the stone wall, she asked:

- So, you heard him. What do you plan do to?

- I ain't planning anything – The hothead curled his upper lip's corner – I'm just gonna smash this cage open and go help my brothers.

- Wrong answer, tough guy – Tenten swatted his head, didn't even faze when he glared at her – I want to get out of here too, but we need to do it a little bit differently.

- Ya got any idea ta get out of this joint?

- Ugh, boys! – The girl shook her head – If I don't know some way to release us, I might as well give up being a Konoha ninja.

- … Alright! I'm listening – Raph finally paid her some attention. He still remembered how painful it was when she hit him in the chest, but if he really wanted to break out, he needed to put it aside. The girl's tougher than she looked, so who knows, she might got a few tricks up her sleeves…

:::

Leo and Don snapped out of their shock when they heard something rustled toward them. Their bodies tensed as Neji and Lee appeared, but eased a little when the white boy showed them the letter.

- I think I know the content of that letter without reading – Neji pointed at the turtle's letter – We're lucky these people were so careless in their moves.

- What do you mean? – Leo asked.

- I guess they want us to finish you off. But they made a mistake planning the ambush when we were so close to each other.

- I don't think so – Don frowned – They're professional assassins, they wouldn't make a simple mistake like that.

- True, but they're holding our comrade and, if I'm correct, your brother captive to force us into this.

- Raph's strong, he would cause a ruckus to get out – Leo said – I can't say I'm not worrying about him. But right now, we need to focus on the motives of these shadow assassins.

- It would be a good start if you tell us more about them – Lee suggested.

And so, the turtle recalled their unpleasant experience with the dark creatures. Neji and Lee paid close attention to make sure they didn't leave anything out. It explained why the Hyuuga's bloodline eyes were useless against them, since they're made of darkness itself. But with Leo and Don, they might figure out a way to retrieve their friends.

- Even though I know all that, there's still something nagging me – Neji mumbled when the story finished.

- I agree – Lee nodded – Our sensei, Maito Gai, has been acting very strange ever since we arrived here. Do you think…

- I doubt what you're assuming is true – Don shook his head – These assassins may be very good at stealth, but they can't disguise themselves as someone else.

Silence. For a moment no one said anything as thoughts swarmed through their mind. Some pieces of the puzzle were coming together, but that's not enough. The feeling of there's something deeper than the scheme was still floating around. During the thinking process, Neji and Leo's eyes met, and Leo suddenly remembered that, even though it's barely noticeable, master Splinter was also acting slightly out of himself. His brows furrowed:

- I hope I'm wrong about this, but maybe your sensei and ours know something.

- And they still keep it a secret after all that battle? – Don argued – I don't think so. Sensei wouldn't do something like that to hurt us.

- I know he never would have done that – Leo turned to him – But what about testing us? He always wants us to become stronger. Remember how helpful he was guiding us to how to use our mystic power?

- We really need to have a talk… - Neji interrupted, his eyes narrowed - … with both our senseis. Are you in?

- To save our brother? Anytime.

:::

- Ya sure that's gonna work? – Raph asked incredulously.

- I'm open to suggestion. – Tenten shrugged.

Her plan to escape seemed doable, with least risk involved, but it would require something the turtle couldn't be sure he's good at, but either that or waiting to receive the news about his brothers' deaths. Raph shot up, screaming at the girl:

- There ain't a chance I'm gonna do that!

- Hey! You're the one agreed to this! – Tenten also jumped to her feet.

- Yer plan sucks! – Raph growled, restrained himself from biting her head off – Why do I have ta stick my neck out for ya?

- Well then, good luck getting out of here without my help!

- I will, and I'm gonna kick yer friends' ass once I'm outta this hole!

- Hey! Stop it! Both of you!

The assassin guard stepped up to the cell, using nothing but his words to separate them. No effect, both the two ninjas were too engrossed in their verbal fight that they completely ignored him. It made the dark creature become a little anxious. They would be killed eventually, but not before the clan achieved their goal. If the two started killing each other and they ended up with no hostage, the turtles and the Konoha ninja would wipe them all out. The assassin opened the cell bar, resorted to force to silence these two. Neither Raph nor Tenten paid any attention to him as he approached, still at each other's throat with their mouths. But the moment the assassin was within arm's reach, Raph suddenly spun to him, swinging both his arms right up to his chin. At the same time, Tenten gave him a kick to the stomach. The creature doubled over before slumping down flat on the floor. He soon vanished in black smoke, leaving a key behind.

- Nice acting, turtle boy! – The girl gave Raph a wink.

- Don't count on me doing that again. For a moment I thought I'm gonna hit ya for real. And the name's Raphael.

- I wouldn't expect anything less, Raphael-kun. Now let's see if this is the key for these handcuffs.

With his hands free, Raph marched right up to the door where the clan leader disappeared behind. Turning the knob slowly, he peeked to the other side:

- Looks clear – He whispered.

- Even so, I don't like anymore surprise, so here, arm yourself with these.

Tenten said and threw him something. Raph brought his hands up to catch a pair of kunai and some shuriken. He looked over her:

- I thought they stripped ya off yer weapon?

- Not all the sealing tags I hid under my cloth – Tenten smirked, pulling out a rod from her sleeve – You'll be surprise what a girl can hide in her body.

For the first time Raph was glad he didn't make an enemy out of her. She would make Karai looks pathetic. Sneaking through the door, they skimmed along a narrow corridor, looking for anything that looked like an exit or at least could help their escape. Upon arriving on a door, both heard voices and something shuffled on the other side. Raph pressed his head against the wooden surface, tried to make out the sound:

- … you still can't pull anything out?

- This is her weapon. She must have had some protection measure to make sure only she can use it. See all this scribble? It must be some sort of spell.

- They have my scroll – Tenten hissed from behind.

- Then let's get it back.

Kicking the door open, Raph jumped in and immediately aimed for one startled assassin, while Tenten went for the other one with her giant scroll. With no time to even call for help, both were knocked out instantly. The kunoichi settled her scroll into position, noticing that the emerald turtle had found his sais in a corner of the room.

- Now we can go warn our comrades. Any idea of how to do that?

- We can walk around here and ask for direction – Raph turned to her, flaming mark already ran down his skin – or we can make our own way out. Stand back, this might get a little messy.

Before the turtle could put his idea to motion though, they heard shouting from the outside. Then came the sound of wind gusting toward them. Tenten turned to see a hurdle of the shadow clan emerged. One of them, seemed to be the one guarding the prison cell not too long ago, pointed at the two:

- There they are! Do not let them escape!

Raph gave the wall he had his back against a hard punch, turning it into a pile of rubble. Tenten took it as queue for them to make their escape and followed the red clad turtle without question. The angry turtle just plowed right through anything unfortunately stood in his path, while the ninja girl behind him occasionally threw out smoke bomb and exploding tag, slowing their enemies. Despite her effort, the shadow creatures still closed the gap between them.

- They're gaining on us! – Tenten panted.

- Then it's time for plan B – Raph shouted over his shoulder – No matter what happen, just keep running!

She was already running at her full speed, glancing back to see the assassins already drew out their weapons. With all the gadgets in her scroll, Tenten could take them out, but right now she only had one thought: how to escape and come back to her friends. Fighting them head on would waste too much time, and she didn't even know how many they were. With her mind occupied, Tenten didn't notice the turtle in front of her was slowly getting bigger, and something scaly spread over his skin…

:::

Gai walked calmly behind his students. If he had any concern for the female ninja of the team who went missing, he didn't show it. Lee and Neji marched defiantly right up to the Daimyo's castle. The guards opened it before they even approached it, revealing the turtle team, along with master Splinter and the Daimyo on the other side. Neither sensei gave out any sign that they knew each other, when all eyes were on every single move of theirs.

- Daimyo-sama. It's been an honor to have you granted us your audience - Neji spoke with his most respectful tone, although he didn't even bow to the Lord.

- It is your right to ask for such thing, young ninja - Came the reply – However, is the matter you wish to discuss so important that you had to summon us in the middle of the night?

- I would really appreciate it if you all stop this act - It was Leo who spoke next - Our brother is missing, so is their friend. Master Splinter, Gai-san, if you have anything to hide from us, now is the good time to say it.

Both masters looked in each other's eyes before turning to the Daimyo. It was a little too soon to reveal their plan, but the safety of their younglings were being threatened. Besides, it was part of their plan in the first place.

- Very well, young warriors - The Lord stepped up - I shall tell you what you wish to know. I trust that you are familiar with the shadow clan?

- Yes. They were the one attacking me, Leo and almost succeeded in taking your life - Don said.

- Correct. They are plaguing this sacred arena with their darkness. I planned to lure them out in the light and eradicated them once and for all. It was Splinter's idea that I use this tournament and you four as baits. After being defeated by you, they would be tempted to use this chance for vengeance.

- Allow me to guess – Neji tilted his head - You knew about them sending a fake invitation to Konoha, asking for us to eliminate the turtles, yet you kept quiet about it?

- Haven't you know, young Hyuuga, that before you wish to fool your enemy, you must be able to fool your ally first?

- Even Hokage-sama approved to this plan, Neji-kun - Gai calmly said - Everything was taken into consideration.

- Including the scenario when one of us was abducted? - Lee turned to his idol, completely confused and disappointed.

- I would never put my sons nor your comrade in danger for something such as this - Splinter reassured him - as we speak, a team of elite force was already dispatched under the Daimyo's command to retrieve them.

- Is this the elite team you speak of, rodent?

All heads turned to the direction of that voice. A column of dark smoke rose from the ground, shaping itself into the assassin leader. He held in each hands those seemed to be the soldiers that guard the arena. All of them unconscious and covered with wounds. The leader threw them in front of the Daimyo.

- You underestimated the power of our clan. Your elite force was nothing compare to our power.

Lee immediately shot toward him, but the flying kick he dished out just went right through him like air. Just as Lee's body flew pass, the assassin grabbed him by the arm, spun the green boy upside down and tossed him back to the turtles like a rag doll. They all landed hard on their backs.

- Do not attempt such reckless act again, if you wish to see your precious ones alive. Remember that well, human boy.

- What do you want, assassin? - The Daimyo demanded.

- I wish for revenge, nothing more. To be precise, I wish for these meddling kame's death. You will do exactly as I command if you truly care for our hostages' wellbeing. The matches will continue as planned. You shall fight with everything you have. Hold nothing back. And you yourself - he pointed at the Daimyo with every bit of authority in his finger - must lift the restriction rule. Our sorcerer has grown tired of altering your power. I do not care whose, but I want to see blood, I want to see heads fall. Fail to do so, and those ninjas will face the consequence.

Wrapped the cape around himself, the mad-vengeance creature disappeared, leaving behind his maniac laugh and a baffled crowd...


	7. Chapter 7

The shadow leader emerged in his dark chamber with a satisfactory grin spread across his face. With the girl and the kame in his hands, those ninja would have to fight at their fullest. All the attention would be on them, leaving him and his clan to proceed to their true goal. But to do so, he must revise his plan one more time with his brethren. This must be a foolproof plan. Opened the door leading out from his resting place, the shadow assassin was struck by the sight in front of him: their residence look nothing more than ruin, with assassins rushing back and forth to tend to the wounded. He roared:

- What have you done? What happened here?

- My deepest apologize, my lord – One of his minions stopped in his track to answer him – The human girl and the kame have escaped.

- WHAT? You imbecile! How could they escape when they have those cursed cuffs on them? – He grabbed the poor creature by the neck, squeezing it.

- Ack… They fooled us… We underestimated them… - The small assassin choked on his words.

The shadow leader threw his minion away in fury. It was careless of him to leave them unattended properly. He did expect them to do as much, but not to the extent that his lair was destroyed. The leader shouted to those around him:

- All of you incompetent! Spread out! Find them, no matter what it takes! Otherwise, we have to put our plan into motion early. Get rid of those incapacitated! I have no use of them anymore.

All the wounded soldiers around quickly rose to their feet. They didn't want to be eliminated just yet. They rather faced the ninja than the wrath of their master…

:::

Tenten snapped from her quick slumber only to hear the sound of Raphael sleeping next to her. She checked her fingers, breathed out in relief to see all the wires were still attached to them. Looking over the sleeping turtle, she couldn't resist a shiver, knowing just a moment ago, he made a huge contribution in their escape…

_…_

For a short moment Tenten lost sight of the turtle in front of her thanks to all the debris he created around them. She was told to keep running, but her legs had started to throb. Furthermore, Raphael couldn't go any faster, busying knocking down walls and all, while the assassins just conveniently chased after them with their path cleared. Just as when the kunoichi decided to give up running and turned around facing them, a deafening roar erupted behind her, making the ground shake.

The assassins skidded to a stop. None dared to move an inch. All of them were exposed under the moonlight, telling Tenten that they were underground not too deep from the surface. But what still disturbing her was that they're still under a giant shadow. Turning around, the girl's face was immediately drained from blood.

Looming over them was a dragon. The hard edge of its wings scrapped the hole it just made, making more rubble fall. The long neck coiled its head down, breathing smoke out of its nostrils. One of its claws gripped tight on the hole, the other slammed the debris under it for support. Its two tails whipping around, sizzling the air as they passed by. For a moment Tenten thought she was seeing one of the legendary tailed beasts in her home world, but then, the red color on the dragon's wings and body quickly reminded her of…

- Raphael-san? – She breathed out, goose bumps crawled all over her skin.

The dragon replied by letting flame burst out from its mouth. Left with no cover, all the girl could think about was to duck low, hands covering her head. The fire however, was not directed at her. Before she knew it, Tenten already heard agonizing scream erupted all around her. Looking around, she saw assassins running for their lives, fire engulfed them as if it was a living being. The dragon swept the beam of flame one more time around her, pushing their pursuers far away back. One of its tails whipped forward and wrapped around her waist. Before Tenten could let the scream out from her throat, they were already soaring through the sky.

- AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! – She dug her nails to the scaly skin of the dragon's tail, holding on for dear life while it flung her around.

Raphael, or the dragon that Tenten assumed he summoned, just kept flying without specific direction, making her nauseating. The bile already rose up to her chest. It she didn't do anything soon, she might hurl. Suddenly, without any warning, the giant reptile disappeared, leaving her flailing in the air, plummeting to the ground along with an unconscious turtle.

- RAPHAEL-SAN! – She yelled out to him, but receiving no answer.

No choice, the girl grabbed for her scroll, unleashing everything she had in there, hoping to find something that could break their fall…

…

- Ugh…

Tenten turned to the sound, seeing the red clad turtle had come back to consciousness. He ran a hand over his throbbing head:

- Ow… feel like an elephant just ran over me…

- That would be an understatement considering the dragon, Raphael-san – Tenten helped him to some water – You nearly made me faint.

- Not like I had any choice – Raph grunted, trying to sit up – If it wasn't for the dragon, those bozos could have caught us.

- You sound really like some guys I know – Tenten mused, remembering Lee and Naruto, her friends in green and orange – They always overdo stuff, but not to the point you did. Where did you summon that dragon anyway?

- Summon? No, I was the dragon!

Seeing the shock in her eyes, Raph quickly explained about his mystic power and his avatar. Tenten was amazed of the turtle's power and origin, and now it was her turn to feel relieved that she didn't make an enemy out of him. Even without his 'amplification amulet', his dragon avatar could make short work of her. Raph glanced around:

- Where are we?

- In the middle of nowhere, I guess. I don't know where we are so I didn't want to move us around. It's best we wait until morning, have you rested up, and if you can turn into a dragon again, we can fly high to see over the forest.

- Ya picked a really nice place – Raph commented on the exposed ground where they were – If those goons find us, it's over.

- Not to worry. See here? – She showed him her fingers full of wires tied to them – I set traps all around us. I'll know right away if they come. You can get some sleep.

- Ya can't expect me ta let a girl watching for me, do ya?

- If you're tired and can't turn to your 'avatar' – Tenten quoted with her fingers – it'll take us more time to get out of here. Just go to sleep. I'll catch some shut eye on your back when you carry me out of here, dragon-turtle-boy.

Convinced, the emerald turtle lied back down and closed his eyes. Raph didn't know if sleep would come to him, but at least he could let his body rested up and restored enough juice for him to take them both back to safety…

:::

Leonardo rested his shell against the balcony, focusing on his mystic power. He let himself be drifted to the astral plane, hoping to find his red clad brother in spirit. Don had tried the shell cell, but it was out of range. And with all the magic barriers surrounding the Battle Nexus, the signal was heavily disturbed. It showed how highly skill the shadow leader was when he's able to slip past all the defenses of the Daimyo.

Speaking of the ruler of this dimension, Leo couldn't help but feel disappointed. He and master Splinter both set them all up, risking their safety, and now two of his brothers had to pay for it. Leo understood about how danger these assassins could be, but risking their lives? He wondered if it's worth it…

A slight tap on the balcony behind him pulled the turtle back to reality. Looking out, he saw Neji sat comfortably on the edge.

- Can't sleep? – The boy in white asked.

- I guess none of us could. – Leo rose to his feet and stretched – Not when your comrade and my brother were abducted.

- Yes. I'm afraid we have no choice but to do as that creature said.

- I don't think he'll let them go even if we do end up killing each other though – Leo frowned – But without knowing where they are, we can't do anything.

Leo curled his hands into fists. The disappointment of his sensei had turned into anger about himself. If only he didn't leave Raph and Don's side, Raph wouldn't be held hostage, and they still had a chance to turn the table on the assassins. He had no one to blame but himself…

- Don't blame yourself over what happened! – Neji said.

- What? I… I don't…

- My eyes can see many things, Leonardo-san, and I can see clearly that you're worried about your brother. But blaming yourself won't solve anything. Instead, why don't you show a little trust in Raphael-kun?

- What do you mean? Don't you worry about your friend Tenten? – Leo asked incredulously.

- I do, but I also believe in her. She's the best weapon specialist Konoha ever have, and she has many tricks up her sleeves, literally – Neji smiled – I don't think those assassins who can vanish to the dark would be a problem for her.

- You're that confident about your teammate? What if she can't make it?

- We're all ninja, we're prepared for loss – Neji stared into Leo's eyes. Seeing the shocked in them, the Hyuuga boy added – But it doesn't mean I won't mourn for my comrade it they die. Until that time, I just keep believing in them.

- How can you be so optimistic? – The gaze in Leo's eyes had softened, but worries still showed.

- A very good friend of mine taught me to believe in myself, in my friends, and to never give up – Neji recalled Naruto, a certain friend in orange of his – It was difficult at first, but I came to. Don't you trust your brother, Leonardo-san?

- I do – Leo answered instantly – it's just…

- If you're still worries, that means you haven't trust him enough. From what I observed during my match with Raphael-kun, I doubt he'd give up knowing his brothers are in danger. And with his ability and Tenten's weapon, they can hold their ground against those shadow assassins.

- I… guess you're right – Leo felt the knots inside him untied themselves. If a stranger like Neji could believe Raph that much, why couldn't he?

The door to Leo's room suddenly burst open, entering a steaming Michelangelo, with Don, Usagi and the healer right behind him. All three tried their best to hold back the orange clad turtle to no avail, since he continued his advancing toward Leo, body shining with mystic mark.

- Mikey? What are you doing? You're supposed to be resting! – Leo walked up to stop him in his track.

- He rushed to you the moment I completed my healing – The healer panted, his fingers slipping from Mikey's arm – We tried to stop him…

- How did this happen? – Mikey barked – How could you let them got Raph?

- Michelangelo-san, restrain yourself! – Usagi desperately clung to the turtle's shell – I understand your frustration, but you're not helping your brother by acting like this.

- I'm sorry, Leo – Don held on Mikey's other arm – I was talking with Usagi when he heard us.

- Michelangelo! Stop this right now! – Leo ordered.

Something in the voice of the leaf-green turtle shot through the mist clouding Mikey's mind, making him stop, the orange wind mark slowly faded. The three of his restrainers slowly released him. Leo put a hand on the youngest turtle, looking into his sky-blue eyes:

- I know you're worried about Raph. We all do. But we're not alone. The ninja team we _thought_ is enemy also lost their friend to those shadow assassins. We can work this out together, but only if you get a hold of yourself.

- I… I'm sorry – Mikey let his head sank – I just… never feel so useless…

- Keeping yourself calm is already a contribution to us – Neji stepped up to speak with the young turtle – We don't know how we will deal with these dark creatures yet, but panic can only lead us right into their hands.

The orange clad turtle took a deep breath, letting steam evaporate from his head. How stupid of him thrashing around while Raph was being held at god-knows-where, he couldn't be sure if Raph's even alive. Leo gently asked:

- Mikey, do you trust Raph?

- What? Of… of course I do.

- Then just as you trusted me when I was in the coma after the fight with Shredder, trust Raph that he'll make it back to us. In the mean time... – Turning to Neji, Leo continued - … We can stall in tomorrow's match for the search team to find Raph and Tenten.

- Search team? What team? – Don asked incredulously.

Instead of answering, Leo glanced at Mikey and beamed a half-smile. The orange clad turtle stared back in confusion, but then his eyes brightened up when he realized…

- There's no need for a team. I can do this alone. – Mikey steeled his voice.

- No! You mustn't! – The healer protested – You just recovered from fatal exhaustion.

- Leo, what were you thinking? – Don couldn't believe what he heard.

- No, Donnie. Leo's right when he's asking me – Mikey calmly stopped him – As far as I know, I'm the fastest one in this room when I have my mystic power activated. I can cover more ground than any troop. I'll find them and bring them back.

- I admire you determination, Michelangelo-san, but this is foolish even for you. I am disappointed, Leonardo-san – Usagi shook his head.

- I know this will put a lot of stress on my brother, Usagi, not to mention the danger out there waiting for him. But I _trust_ Mikey, just as much as I trust Raph'll will come back. And if you're worried about Mikey being worn out, prepare to take care of him when he gets back. I'm counting on all of you.

While saying the last sentence, Leo was looking right at Don. The purple clad turtle had never seen such confidence in Leo's eyes, not even when he convinced them to focus to take on the Tengu Shredder. For a moment, Don believed that if Leo told him to become a miracle worker, he might be able to do it. Slowly nodded, Don said:

- Alright, I'll see what I can do, but only after all of us get some rest. You and I still have to fight Lee and Neji here tomorrow.

With that, they all retreated to their rooms, while Mikey was insisted to have another check-up by the healer. Leo turned to Neji just as he was backing out on the balcony:

- How's that for trusting? – The turtle grinned.

Neji just threw a smile at the turtle before jumping down to the void. No matter what the outcome of the battle tomorrow, he wouldn't regret meeting these fantastic turtles…


	8. Chapter 8

One long, stressful night passed, and the sun finally decided to show up on the horizon, basking the Battle Nexus with its warm light. People from all around the multiverse gathered from the beginning of dawn, excited to see what the warriors had to offer. In the Daimyo's castle, the turtles and team Gai, minus those who were abducted, were getting ready for the decisive battle. Don checked his gear for the ninth time, while Leo and Mikey focus on their mystic power. For once, Michelangelo surprised master Splinter of how concentrated he could be, especially when his family was at stake. The same went for the ninjas of Konoha. Neji executed his favorite technique one more time with absolute grace and poise, leaving no place for excess movement, and Lee tightened the bandage around his arms, making it squeak against his green spandex. Gai and master Splinter stood afar observing their beloved students, having the same worry about those missing. If only Tenten and Raphael could be here, and they didn't have to concern themselves over the shadow assassins, this would be the most thrilling contest they've ever been in. The Daimyo, along with Usagi and his son, marched up to them. The Battle Nexus ruler waved his War Staff to gain their attention:

- I deeply apologize for causing such damage to all of you. If we ever get through this, I shall be forever grateful – His bow couldn't get any lower.

- It's alright, Daimyo-sama – Neji bowed in respond – We know the risk, and we're willing to go through with it. It doesn't mean we're going without countermeasure, though.

Casted a glance at Mikey, he gave a light nod. Lee gave him a thumb up before the sea green turtle disappeared from view in a flash of green and orange.

- I pray for his success in finding Tenten and Raphael – Ue said – It is almost time. We shall go ahead to the arena. Please… be careful.

All of them nodded in acknowledgement. Turning to each other, the turtles and the Konoha ninjas all wore the same expression on their faces: this was no longer a fight for honor and glory. All of their hope rode along with the orange clad turtle, and for that they had to give him all the time they could afford. Both senseis looked at their students with deep concern, but they couldn't push aside the pride rising in their chests. Never before that they showed such determination. This would be one hell of a match, and the spectator would be blown away…

:::

After a long, thorough search for the hostage, saying the shadow clan leader was furious was an understatement. His brethren's incompetent costed them a few lives when he unleashed his wrath upon them. They could jeopardize everything he planned. When he calmed down enough to clear his mind, he realized that time left him no choice. If he couldn't possess the necessary negotiation tools, then so be it. The plan must be carried out without delay, along with some alternations. The assassin leader had already set out toward the castle's direction with his elite force, while the rest spread out in the forest to search for the fugitives. The order was clear: the human girl and the kame were no longer required, but they could still pose a threat to the clan's scheme. They were not allowed to reach the castle, and their heads were demanded by the leader. Roaming into the brightening forest, the assassins soon found their targets...

Tenten put another soldier pill in her mouth, grinding it and let the medicine boost her up. Her eyelids were getting heavier by the minute, but she could make out the faint ray of sunlight from afar. She was about to wake up her green companion when a loud bang jolted them both to their feet.

- Wha-what happened? – Raph stuttered, still not out of his drowsy state yet.

- One of my traps. Those dark creatures are here. – Tenten gritted his teeth, staring at some snapped wires on her fingers – Cover your ears!

Without waiting for the turtle to comply, the kunoichi pulled hard on the rest of the wires. A set of explosion erupted from all around them, and then there's the sound of metal cutting the air. Scream of pain and terror rose above the smoke and fire. But then, dark smoke swirled its way to them, solidified into about a dozens of angry shadow assassins, some of them wounded by the traps of the Konoha ninja. Tenten held her scroll at the side, ready to unleash her weapon to whoever dared to approach. Raph already activated his mystic force, spinning his sais tauntingly.

- Hurry before he can transform! – One of the assassins shouted to the others – They must be put down at all cost. Attack!

Raph couldn't concentrate any more than he already had when a group of the shadow clan jumped on him. Their attacks did little to no damage to the turtle, but he was distracted enough to manifest his dragon avatar. Not to mention he was too close to Tenten, if he transformed he could crush her by accident. She didn't seem to be any harm though, when she rolled the giant scroll out, hurling a hurricane of razor-sharp weapons at those assassins around her. They evaded easily by turning into smoke, but they could not attack her in that form, and solidify at close distance would mean being shredded to pieces, for the weapons flew around her with wires connected to them. With just a flick of her fingers, the kunais, daggers and all other kind of blades shot to where she wanted.

For a while both sides seemed to be in a stalemate. But the assassins gradually closed their distance. Raph's flame mark had started to fade, and the pressing attacks begun to take visible effect on his skin. Raph slowly backed away, keeping the cuts and bruises he received to the minimum, but it proved to be difficult when there're so many of them. With each goon he beaten, three more popped up, draining Raph from his mystic energy. The flame mark finally died out and one of the assassins managed to kick the emerald turtle right in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

Tenten didn't fare any better. Her control of the weapons was getting less and less accurate due to lack of sleep. The metal wires connected her fingers and the weapons were making her hands bleed with every move she made. Her head suddenly swayed in the dizziness and all of her weapons tangled altogether. The assassins wasted no precious moment to crush the girl using shear weight and number.

- You are a formidable force, we'll give you that – The assassin commented mockingly, raising a blade across Raph's neck when the turtle was brought to his knee along with Tenten, his brethren held them both firmly in place – Too bad you can only hold on for this long. Farewell!

Raph and Tenten looked at each other as the blade was raised above their heads, poising for the final strike. They had fought valiantly, but their effort wasn't enough. Knowing what's coming next just by staring into each other's eyes, both the warrior turtle and the tomboy kunoichi closed their eyes, waiting for the final blow to come. The executor assassin took one last look at his defeated enemies, and then brought down his blade.

WHAM!

It happened in less than a fracture of a second, faster than any eye could follow. When Raph and Tenten's brain registered what occurred, the assassin looming in front of them was already feet away, lying in a lump of meat, unconscious before his body came into contact with the ground, and evaporated not too long after that. All of them were too shocked to react, but from the corner of Raph's eyes, he saw a blur of green and orange. He nudged for Tenten's attention just before the bunch of shadow assassins around them were knocked flat on their backs. Those remainders started to panic and released their hostages in a heartbeat so they could defend themselves against an invisible force. Raph was about to turn around and delivered some knuckle sandwiches when he heard his baby brother's ecstatic cry:

- COWABUNGA! - Mikey screamed as he shot past him and knocked down another group of those dark creatures, his stealth thrown out to the wind.

If not for the fact that Mikey was their savior, Raph would have yelled something to shut him up. But he could always smack the shell-for-brain later. The orange clad turtle skidded to a stop in front of his brother and a total amazed yet perplexed girl after knocking out the last assassin, with a speed that could make Hisomi shisho proud.

- Mikey! What did I tell ya about 'Cowabunga'? - Raph crossed his arms, pretending to be upset.

- That's what I get for saving your sorry shell? - Mikey stuck out his tongue - In case you haven't realized, I already stop gloating about how awesome I am when I became the Battle Nexus champion, so cut me some slack, dude!

Tenten could only shake her head as she watched Raph trying to give his brother a playful noogie. The scene was foreign, yet felt awkwardly familiar to her, when her friends in Konoha used to mess around just like that.

- Guys! – She called out to them – As much as I want to join your touching reunion, we still have work to do!

The turtles stopped scratching their heads, and then hardened their faces. The clock's still tickling. Every second they wasted, their friends and brothers could be pushing themselves to the verge of death. Tenten rose to their feet, swaying:

- I'm almost out of it, but we can't take any time to rest. Raphael-san, I sure can use your avatar now.

- Me too, it's just… there's something wrong with me – The red clad turtle frown – I couldn't… can't concentrate. It's like I don't have any juice left.

Just as that moment, a loud rumble erupted from somewhere on Raph's middle area.

- Does that answer your question? – The girl arched an eyebrow at the blushing turtle.

- Wait! Hold on! – Mikey held up his hands – Are you guys talking about what I think you're talking about? Raph can call up his dragon avatar?

- Not just call up, I turned inta it. That's how we could escape from those assassins.

- Dude, that is so not fair, I mediated for hours yesterday night and today morning, while you got beaten and got locked up, and you did it before me? – The youngest turtle whined.

- Then why don't ya give it a try just like I did? Ya just have ta turn inta the dragon in my place, 'cause I don't think ya can carry us both as a turtle.

A flinch of nervousness flashed across Mikey's face, but the turtle gulped it down. Leo and Don already counted on him, Lee and Neji also counted on him. Now it's just Raph, and Tenten, and pretty much everyone else. No pressure. Clapped his hands together and closed his eye, the sea green turtle started to focus, hoping that he wouldn't screw this up, for his family's sake, and for his own sake as well…

:::

The Daimyo wanted to arrange the ninja's match until later, letting the other contestant go first. But it was not as he planned. With only a handful of warriors left, the time for their match drew near very soon. Ue tucked on his father's robe, sensing his hesitation:

- You should not delay what is inevitable, father. Let us have faith in Michelangelo and proceed as we originally planned.

The Battle Nexus ruler gazed down his son. He was reborn to him, giving him a second chance to be a better father. If Ue trusted the turtle, especially the former champion of this multiverse, why could he not? Straightened up, the Daimyo jabbed the War Staff to the ground, making necessary alternation just as the shadow clan leader demanded. Down below the arena, Leo and Don nervously looked up as the magic screen flashed their names:

HAMATO DONATELLO

VS

ROCK LEE

Glancing over the boy in green, Don could see those black eyes had turned into blazing coals. He gave Don a determined nod before both of them vanished into the ring.

- I am aware that we must not rush this, Donatello-kun – Lee bowed to him before poising to his signature stance – I will try my best to restrain myself.

- Me too… - Don mumbled before the gong cut him off.

Dashing forward, green clashed into green in the middle of the ring. Don had blocked Lee's fist with his bo staff, sliding it so the punch was deflected upward. With the boy's side wide opened, Don jabbed a punch right to it, but Lee quickly spun around and grabbed the turtle's wrist before he could make contact. With the momentum, the green beast of Konoha dragged Don around as he drove into a spin, launching the turtle to the wall of the ring. The purple clad turtle banged his shell hard, but quickly rested it against the brick wall, his bo staff at the ready to welcome the charging ninja. The flying kick Lee sent his way drilled a hole on the ring as Don squashed down, his legs split to a perfect straight line. Lee couldn't pull his leg out in time and receive a full blow of the staff right to his face. The turtle rolled away on his shell only to come back immediately, unleashing on the green boy every kata he knows. Lee had freed himself but with the staff's reach and the continuous attack, he couldn't do much except for blocking and dodging Don's onslaught. His bandaged arms took care of almost all of Don's blows, but he couldn't keep this up for too long.

Dodging one more of the turtle's attack, Lee black flipped away, realized that Don didn't chase after him. They need to drag this on for as long as possible, but they also had to keep the audience _entertained_. If Don just stood there and did nothing, then it was up to him to bring out the heat. Launching himself to the side, Lee started running along the wall. His speed kept increasing, until he no longer ran on the ground but on the brick wall, creating smoke after his track. Lee hoped that Don could catch up with what he was about to do, otherwise it would end very quickly and dreadfully.

The genius closely observed his opponent turning into a blur, the grip on his staff made his fingers went numb. With the momentum Lee was building up, the impact would be devastating, but he must remain on the ring. Still keeping an eye on the green rocket, Don let the mystic power flowed through his body, painting glowing purple stripes on his skin. He had a few ideas of what his brothers could do with their mystic force, but not himself. He never tried it until yesterday night. Don prayed that he could control it well, or Lee would have to leave the ring in a casket…

The crowd stood all up as Lee suddenly shot toward Don, gravity force pulled his skin backward. The turtle held his bo staff firmly in front of him, letting its tip meet the green boy head on. The impact sent a shockwave to the ground, shrouding them both in a veil of dust. People could barely make out a human form jumped out of the cloud, his forehead bleeding. They pointed and shouted in excitement when the dust dissipated, revealing Don standing behind a solid rock boulder spiked up from the ground, with its front side had a huge crack where Lee hit his head. Dashing around the rock, Don bit his lips as he saw what he had done. He never intended to make it that hard. But then Lee just smiled at him with a wink. Nodded in understanding, Don lunged forward, practically flying over to the green boy, with a gush of wind blowing around him. The spectator screamed as the turtle swung up his bo staff, now twice its length and covered with something that looked like ice, with its tip sharp enough to slice through anything without leaving a trace. Lee dodged just in time as the staff drew a neat line on the ground, while Don let the ice melt into a ball of water, and hurled it toward the boy. Gathering chakra to his fists, the green beast of Konoha punched them both forward, and people could see visible air pressure shot out from the punches. The water ball and the air missiles collided in a blast, making the crowd roar with excitement.

From the back stage, Leo's jaws hit the floor as he observed his genius brother fight. Neji asked him nervously:

- Leonardo-san, are you aware that your brother can fight this way?

- Honestly, I have no idea. Each of us has their own unique ability that comes with our mystic power, but I never knew he could do that. It's even more powerful than my spirit type power, or Mikey's speed and stealth, or…

- … Or Raphael-kun and his impenetrable armor – Neji finished for him – Has he ever used it before?

- Maybe, but I think this is the first time he consciously use it – Leo frowned as he saw Don wiped another boulder at Lee as if it was a golf ball – That might explain how Don could be so strong the last time we used this power. He didn't destroy anything, he just broke his target apart using his power without any physical force.

- Thank you for the information, Leonardo-san. But we should focus on the main goal: how long can he keep this up? If he can't, Lee has to finish the match, and in a manner that won't disappoint the audience at that.

True to Neji's worry, Don's purple mark slowly diminished, along with his ability to control element. Ice evaporated before it could take form, and water drop before reaching Lee. The olive green on his skin had turned pale, and he looked at the boy in green desperately, slightly shaking his head. Lee's lips were pressed into a thin line as he realized what he must do, and started to unleash his chakra. As his skin turned red, Don made one last attempt on a fake attack before his mystic power was completely depleted, allowing Lee the chance to counter and finish him in a huge blow. This time, the crowd went dead silent, waiting for the dust to die down. Some of them even prayed for the turtle's safety, but they soon gasped in shock when Lee walked out from the smoke, dragging an unconscious turtle on the ground by his shell. Leo's body went rigid as the sight, but he force himself to stay calm, his mind kept chanting that Don would be alright, that the healer would cure him.

From the darkness, the shadow clan leader could not hide his satisfactory grin as he saw the limping body of the kame. Those cowards were so scared they could do nothing but to obey his demand, now if he could just wait for the remaining match before carrying out the last part of his plan.

In the mist of joy, the assassin had missed a smirk painted on Neji's face…


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **I don't know if anyone realize this, but I'm getting slow on updating this story, and I'm sorry. The truth is, I'm writing another story on DA, but I haven't felt comfortable enough to post it here yet. I'm also getting busy with my job, so expect to have even slower (again, I'm really sorry) update. I'll try to write, but I can't promise anything...

* * *

After the third attempt, with constant encouragement from Tenten and Raph, Mikey was still unable to manifest his dragon avatar. The orange clad turtle slumped to the ground in defeat:

- I… I can't do this. I'm sorry – He panted, wiping sweat from his forehead - May be we should let Raph try the soldier pills again?

- No! - Tenten refused immediately - We tried it and it didn't work already. It was meant for temporary boost only. Besides, it'll cause nasty side effect if you use too much.

- C'mon, Mikey! Ya came all the way here ta save our asses, ya can do this – Raph held his shoulder and gave it a light shake.

- Please, Michelangelo-kun. We wouldn't force you to do this if Raphael-san isn't starving – The girl almost begged him.

- I know, I know. It's just… really hard without the amulet. How did you do it anyway? – Mikey asked.

- Dunno. At that time all I was thinking was to get the shell outta there, 'cause if I didn't I'd be dead meat, and you guys would be next on the plate.

- That's it! – Tenten clapped her hands – May be that's what got you motivated. You guys worry about each other, right?

- Kinda – Mikey looked up to her – We're all what we have where we live. Leo once said that if one of us goes down, we all go down.

- Then I think it's good time ya listen ta what Fearless said. C'mon, bro. I know ya can do this. Yer the second best when it comes to this stuff, remember?

Mikey didn't need Raph to remind him that. Right after when Don could activate his mystic force, he was the one impressed everyone with his. This time though, he was without the amplification amulet, and this was way more serious than just walking on a bridge, or a race with Hisomi shisho. But lives were at stake, lives that were precious to him more than his own. Closing his eyes once more, Mikey recalled the feeling when Leo pushed him to the limit, when his family was threatened and especially the feeling when he shot Lee with what's left of his ki. It swelled up inside him like tidal wave, pouring out through every pore on his skin. He felt himself levitated from the ground, and his body expanded in an incredible manner. Muscles budged up from everywhere possible. A cracking noise inside him indicated that his bones were growing and reforming themselves. Mikey suddenly felt something encasing his neck from the front and from his back, but he dared not stop, hoping that it was just the armor of the dragon.

Opened his eyes once again, Mikey saw Raph and Tenten way below him. According to his shadow looming over them, and the stunned look on their faces, the sea green turtle knew he just did it. Raph waved for him to lower his head, so his brother and the girl could settle on his giant, scaly neck. Raph gently held Tenten in his arms and leaned back to the edge of the dragon's armor, so she could take some precious moment to rest. The exhausted girl went limp even before she rested her head against his board shoulder.

With a stomp hard enough to shake the ground, the orange dragon took off toward the sky…

:::

The moment Lee and Don returned from the arena, the healer immediately rushed to them so he could take care of the unconscious turtle. Upon examining Don, he frowned deeply for there's something not right, but before he raised his head and voiced his confusion, his eyes were met by the Byakugan, and its owner quickly put a finger over his lips before turning it into a flick of his jet black hair. Leo didn't miss any of that, and he arched an eyebrow questioningly toward Neji, but the boy in white just gave a smile in respond. Lee gave Leo a wink and a thumb-up before turning his back to the turtle, pretending to observe the magic screen closely.

Meanwhile, from the darkness area of the castle, the shadow assassins swiftly advanced. The clan leader had decided that the moment to strike was upon them, so he already left the turtles and the Konoha ninjas' side. Little did he know, as he planned a surprise for them, they also have a surprise for him as well...

From the magic screen, names of the next combatants appeared:

HAMATO LEONARDO

VS

HYUUGA NEJI

Neji still had that mysterious smile on his face when Leo faced him in the ring. He didn't dare to ask why, for fearing that the assassins still kept watching them, so just frowned to convey his message. If the Hyuuga boy had any sign that he received the question, he didn't show it. Instead, Neji just motioned his head for Leo to get into position before the gong sounded. The boy's attitude started to get on the turtle's nerves, but something in that confident smile reassured him and prevented him from voicing his question.

The gong sung, and they both dashed for the other. Leo twisted his hands to avoid Neji's palms, grabbing the boy by his wrists. Pulling him forward so their shoulder clash, Leo couldn't resist the urge to ask:

- What are you planning?

- Trust me Leonardo-san - Neji said before using Leo's knee as foothold to spring away - I have a plan to subdue those creatures.

- Wouldn't it be helpful if I know about it so I could lend a hand? - Leo sent out several jabs, only to have them all blocked.

- It was a last minute change; I didn't have time to inform you, I'm sorry.

Back flipped away from the turtle, the boy activated his Byakugan, and from his palms, chakra flooded out enough to be visible by naked eye. Leo, on the other hand, still did nothing, not even draw out his katana or bring up the mystic power. As Neji lunged for his chest, Leo simply turned sideways, using his opponent's own momentum to topple him over. Pushed both hands to the ground, Neji turned upside down, spreading his leg to a straight line and begun to spin. If Leo wasn't quick enough to bent back, having his shell almost touch the ground, he might receive some kicks to his face. The Hyuuga boy wasted no time to jump straight up again and swiped the turtle's legs, sending Leo to his shell.

The blue clad turtle wasn't very high from the ground, so the impact did little damage, just enough to knock out some wind from his lungs. Neji didn't give him a moment to breathe when he dropped a kick right at his face. Giving the ground a hard kick, Leo spun on his shell and escaped by a hair's breath. Still spinning, he reached up for his katana and gave it a wide sweep, carefully turning the blunt side toward Neji's ankles. But he saw the reflection of the sun on the blade, and shot down a kunai to stop it, along with Leo's spin.

They both scrambled away to draw some breathes. Neither of them broke a sweat yet, and so far there's still no indication that the shadow clan had made any move, but the crowd had started jeering, demanding for more action from their 'performance'. Compared to this, the previous match was way more exciting. Neji threw Leo a look and received a nod, signaling him to move. The Hyuuga boy dug for the pouch behind him, launching a cluster of shuriken at the turtle. Leo deflected them all with his katana, but the last one wasn't a shuriken.

Boom!

Leo saw the smoke bomb a fractured too late. Before the smoke blinded him, he could see Neji rushing toward him, kunai at the ready. The boy was only an arm's reach away from the smoke screen when shuriken shot out from it, but he didn't flinch. Kicking off from the ground, Neji launched himself toward the shuriken, spinning as he flew.

- Hakkeshou Kaiten! - He shouted.

Chakra poured out from his very skin, enveloped him in a cocoon. The shuriken bounced off of it, clearing the path as the human drill shot through the smoke screen. The wind from Neji's chakra vortex cleared up the smoke, and the crowd gasped in shock to see Leo had blocked his opponent's attack using his very blade, his whole body shining with lightning mark. Neji slowed down to a halt and gracefully landed on his toes. But the moment he touched the ground, Leo had sent several slashes his way, one of them managed to cut his hair short. Sheathed the katana, the blue clad turtle focus his ki to his right fist, releasing it in lightning form. Swung his arm forward, Leo lashed at Neji with the lightning ki, moving them like deadly whips while his left hand kept throwing shuriken, cornering the boy in white closer to the whip. Despite all of Leo's effort, the Hyuuga boy dodged with ease and used every gap as opportunity to close up their distance, while Leo jumped out of grasp and forced his opponent back with his power. They danced around each other; each step craved mark on the ring and caused the crowd to scream, cheering on for each of them.

For a while they both managed to drag the match on for a little while, but then Neji noticed that some of the shuriken Leo threw at him were missed on purpose. With the Byakugan activated, Neji had no problem keeping track on both the throwing stars and the whip, and suddenly he realized that Leo wasn't just wasting shuriken on him. The blue clad turtle must have seen the look on his face, because he was smirking:

- I thought you must see this a little sooner, Neji-san. You're in my trap!

The boy in white could see clearly now that he was standing right in the middle of a shuriken matrix, one that Leo had been setting up without him noticing. And right now Leo was at the outskirt of the trap. Neji made a dash for the turtle, but Leo already boosted up his mystic lightning, and gave the ground before him a hard punch. This time, the ring didn't shatter. Instead, lightning bolt shot out from the turtle's fist zigzagged through it, guided by the metal shuriken as lightning rods and went straight for Neji. If he wasn't quick enough to jump, he would be shocked to unconsciousness by now. Threw down some kunai attached with exploding tag, Neji blew up some space in Leo's trap and cleared up some ground for him to land safely. The spectator screamed in awe as the lightning snake zipped around the boy's back, but since now there's some distance between the shuriken and him, Neji dodged a bit easier.

Leo was about to guide the course of his attack another way, when he felt a bang went off inside him. It was as if his body just received a huge pump of ki. Lost control of his sudden boosted mystic power, Leo saw a second too late that the trap he planned now had taken a turn to be a deadly one. The lightning bolt had spread itself, connecting with all the pieces of metal available on the ground to form a web made of lightning, and Neji was trapped right in the middle of it. Before Leo could withdraw his hand, Neji was shocked and fell face down to the ground. The boulder of ki still grew uncontrollably inside him, and before Leo found a way to suppressed it, his body had expanded and transformed itself into a familiar form, along with a roar he heard from the distance...

Raising his head high above the arena, Leo the blue dragon could see another orange dragon approached him, a turtle and a girl riding on his neck. Without anyone telling, Leo knew who they were and roared to greet them. But then several things happened at once.

The first thing that drew his attention was Raph falling down from Mikey's neck, his body glowing red and some dragon feature already appeared. Next was a series of explosion gone off in the castle, where the Daimyo, master Splinter and everyone else were staying to observe the match. And, for the crowd's shock and panic, another purple dragon rose up from the infirmary, carrying with it some splintered wood, rubble of the roof and a screaming Rock Lee. Leo still had no bearing of what's going on when a cry pierced through his dragon's ears. Looking toward its direction, the blue dragon widened his eyes to see a group of shadow assassins had surrounded the Battle Nexus ruler and those with him. The clan leader rose above them, with Ue firmly locked in his grasp. The assassin leader roared in triumph:

- Stop whatever you are doing, kame! Or this boy will die!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **I said that I won't abandon my stories, and I keep my word. Work and life's s**t can't stop me from writing, can't extinguish the fire of inspiration in me. There will be some time until the next update, but for now, enjoy...

PS: For those who are waiting for the next update, I apologize, and thank you for your divine patience...

* * *

Raphael tightened his hold on Tenten's waist as the Daimyo's castle came into view. Mikey must have been excited as well, because he abruptly sped up toward where his brothers were. The sooner they got Raph and Tenten to recover, the sooner they could start searching for those shadow creeps.

- Wake up Tenten! - Raph lightly shook the kunoichi - We're almost there!

Tenten gave her eyes a good rub before taking in the sight of the castle, along with the arena and the people who were fighting in it. She didn't have a chance to tell her turtles companions how happy she was to be back when Mikey's roar drowned her word, and a gush of wind blew behind her empty back. Tenten looked over her shoulder to see Raph had abandoned his seat and was diving toward the ground below.

- Raphael-san! - She cried, but her voice couldn't rise above the deafening roar.

Another roar from afar tore her eyes from Raph for a moment, and Tenten's breathe hitched at the sight of a blue dragon floating above the arena ring, as well as another purple one rising from a castle's building. But now wasn't the time to be shocked, her friend was falling. She looked down again and to her relief, the emerald turtle had started changing. His body grew toward every direction, legs melted into two scaly dragon tails. A pair of wings protruded from his back and halted his fall. The short turtle neck sprouted his head away from the shell, and the shape of his skull changed into a sharper form of a dragon.

The red dragon looked up to the kunoichi above, his golden orbs reassured her a little. Suddenly a set of explosion and a painful cry drew their attention away from each other. Raph darted his head over to see the dust subsided, revealing the shadow clan troop surrounding the Daimyo, his sensei and the other. In the clan leader's grip was a helpless Ue, a blade over his throat.

- Stop whatever you are doing, kame! Or this boy will die!

All four dragons loomed over the castle, making the shadow assassins quivered in fear. The clan leader though had no trouble holding his ground. As long as he had the Battle Nexus ruler's son, he could ask for anything. Tightening his hold on Ue, the assassin pressed the blade deeper:

- Revert back to your kame form immediately, or his blood will spill! - He demanded.

Too distracted by four gigantic reptiles, he didn't notice that in the ring, Neji had regained consciousness. He pressed on a button on his neck, activating his radio.

- Lee! If you can hear me, do whatever it takes to make Donatello carry out the plan!

His Byakugan could see clearly a boy in green dangling on the purple dragon's tail, completely ignored by it and the assassin he's staring at. Lee focused chakra to his hand and leg, gluing himself to the scaly skin. Maneuvering on a flying dragon wasn't an easy task, not to mention avoid being seen by the shadow monsters, but Gai's proud disciple made his way to Don's head in record time. While the four turtles in dragon form still hesitated to comply with the demand, Lee lightly punched his friend by the head, calling:

- Donatello-kun! Do you remember our secret plan? DO IT NOW!

Don still had no idea how he turned into dragon against his will, but if the mystic force didn't fail him while he fought Lee, it sure couldn't fail him now. Concentrated with all his might, the purple dragon summoned hoses of water from thin air, blasting right into the shadow assassins' faces. None of them was fast enough so they took the attack full force, even the clan leader didn't see it in time to react, he only had enough to put his hands over his face to block the water jet that threatened to drown him, releasing Ue.

- NOW DONATELLO-KUN! - Lee yelled.

Don immediately dove down over the assassins, his brothers swiftly followed as if on cue. Leo spread his jaws wide and engulfed Ue, carefully rolled him over to avoid the razor sharp teeth, then slammed his head hard against the panic shadows. Raph was so large he couldn't join in, so he let his tails did the whooping. Master Splinter and Usagi quickly jumped over to cover for the Daimyo, bringing him out of the destruction's way. The assassins weren't so lucky. Some of them vanished into smoke and fled, the rest was either being squashed or torn into pieces. The assassin leader furiously avoiding the onslaught, his eyes shot to the Battle Nexus ruler. With a cry from wrath, he turned into smoke and shrouded over him. The Daimyo and his guardians were blown hard with a lungful of smoke, and he felt something snapped at his hand, where he was holding his War Staff.

With all his might, the dark being yanked hard on the staff. It came loose with an angry roar from the Lord.

- Return what you have stolen, vile one! - The Daimyo bellowed.

- And waste all my effort? Never! - The assassin shot back. to his brethren, he yelled - I have seized our prize. Retreat!

His minions couldn't be happier to obey, as long as they could get away from the vicious dragons threatening to crush them. Raph pushed his brothers aside for easier maneuvering, launching his head over the shadow assassins, teeth baring. But he clamped his jaws on nothing but air. The red dragon let out a roar in frustrate, deafening the people around him. Mikey was about to get close to calm him down when suddenly Raph went limp, his wings stopped flapping and he plummeted to the ground, his body shrinking back to turtle size. Leo and the others dove down to save him but a wave of dizziness and exhaustion flooded over them, and each followed Raph's step in reverting back to their original form. Neji saw all that happened with his eyes, calling immediately to his teammates.

- Tenten, get Michelangelo! Lee, take care of Donatello! Gai-sensei, save Leonardo and Ue-sama!

Closest to the falling Raphael, Neji made a beeline to where he would land and propelled himself up to catch the oversize turtle. With all his might, Neji unleashed his chakra and attached himself firmly to the emerald turtle's shell. They both touched the ground gently as a feather. Without bothering to look up, Neji could see that all of his friends were safe. Mikey was clinging to Tenten, who was standing completely horizontally on the castle's wall, her foot gluing to it with chakra. Lee had a good grip on Donatello's belt, his other hand dug deeply into the brick wall. Leo and Ue rested safely in each of Gai's arms, while the Taijutsu master caught a branch and used it as step to meet the ground unharmed.

Up high above, both the Daimyo and Splinter had regain composure after the sneak attack. The Battle Nexus ruler grunted:

- Unbelievable! How could they manage to slip through my reinforced barrier? Quick, Splinter-san! We must retrieve the War Staff before it could cause damage.

- I agree, my friend. - Master Splinter frowned deeply, for this wasn't the first time one of the most powerful weapons in the multiverse was stolen - Let us discuss this matter thoroughly with my students and our allies.

:::

- Would it kill ya if ya got a better hold on that walking stick? - Raph fumed the moment he saw the Daimyo.

- Raphael! Manner! - Splinter snapped - Could you have expected that their goal in the first place was to steal the War Staff?

The hothead was silenced after that. It was likely, but even if they knew it in advance, the shadow clan leader could still ask for it in exchange for Ue's life. They had all gathered after the commotion and the tournament suspended. Neji squinted his eyes:

- I see a group of dark ki moving away from us. They're heading South-West from here, toward Tenten's coordinate at where she was captured. Whatever the plan would be, we should plan it quickly because they'll be out of my range soon.

- The first thing would be retrieving the staff before they figure out how to use it - Leo said - We'll need Neji's eyes to track them. Don and I will go, since we have first-hand experience with these assassins, and...

- Wait just a moment! - Ue halted him - I must join the retrieving team.

- No can do, kid! - Raph cut him off - Those guys are way above your level. Yer gonna get yourself killed.

- I won't deny that they took me by surprise - The red hair boy glared at him - But I haven't been training restlessly under my father's guidance for nothing. It was me they wanted to take advantage of at the first place, so I will show them that they took much more than they bargained for.

Raph had prepared a good comeback when both Leo and Lee held up their hands to stop him. Lee looked at Ue straight in the eye:

- There will be booby traps, bloodshed and merciless enemy. They would use your father's staff against us if they have the chance. Do you think you are ready for that, Ue-sama?

- I am - Ue stared back at him defiantly.

Turned back to the blue clad turtle and his teammates, Lee held up his fist:

- I believe he is indeed ready. This is the chance we've been waiting for, to eradicate these filth from this honorable place. I suggest we all go and, as Raphael-kun would say, 'kick their asses' once and for all. What do you think, Gai-sensei?

Gai didn't reply, but simply glanced at his genius student, waiting.

- Gai-sensei and Hokage-sama entrusted me with this mission - Neji said - I won't make a decision that would fail them. We all go.

:::

Having rested up and his hunger sated, Raph was more than eager to run after his brothers, one hand griping his sai. The Konoha team chose to leap from branch to branch, while the turtle followed suit on ground. Don had modified their shell cell as well to connect with the ninja's radio. He's still deep in thought while following Neji's direction.

- Something on your mind? - Leo slowed down to his pace, allowing Mikey and Raph to pass up.

- Yeah, I'm still thinking about what happened back then - Don mused - Their timing of an ambush was one thing, but we turning into dragons at the same time is way too much for a coincidence.

- I've been thinking about that as well - Leo leaped over a rock - When that happened, I felt like I was hit by a dose of adrenaline. I couldn't even control my ki and almost killed Neji.

- I felt that too, and the next thing I know, I was drilling through the infirmary's roof.

- It was around the time Mikey came back with Raph and Tenten. What do you think of it?

- Well, I have a theory, and it's about your mystic power - Don wasn't too sure of what he's about to say next - It was... you who caused all of us to transform.

- Come again? - Leo widened his eyes.

- Your mystic force is probably the spirit type, which would amplify ours and connect us to each other. That's why Raph was able to transform even when he was hungry. It also explains why when he's exhausted, we felt it too.

Leo couldn't quite believe what he just heard right away, but Don made a very good assumption. Each of them had their own unique personality, and as Kon Shisho once said, the mystic power gave them the ability that fits them most. A free spirit like Mikey would go as fast as the wind allows him, while Raph, the guardian of the team, would take all the damage and therefore possessed the most resilient power of all. Leo didn't have to ponder about Don's ability. His creative mind could only work at its full potential if he's allowed to control the environment around him. As for Leo himself...

- Everyone! - Neji called up from above - We're almost there...


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** It's been a while since I last update my story. I really appreciate all of you patience. Life gave me a good beating for the past few months, but I survive. And this new chapter is proof that I'm still alive. Enjoy...

* * *

- That's their secret hideout? Stealthy, isn't it? - Mikey said sarcastically.

Before them was what seemed to be the entrance to the shadow clan's lair. It was twice the size of the gate that leads to the Daimyo's castle, and the sinister atmosphere emitting from it was unmistakable. Even the plant withered around it.

- Do not let look deceive you, Michelangelo-san - Neji reminded him - What appears in plain sight conceals a much bigger fortress underneath. It stretches out far and wide, all the way to where Tenten and Raphael-san escaped.

Crouched to the ground, the white eye boy quickly drew a sketch of what his Byakugan could take in about the lair of their enemy. Ue gasped at the scale of the picture:

- How could they develop this much without being detected? What have those royal guards been doing?

- Do not blame them, Ue-sama - Neji said - It was carefully hidden by some sort of barrier. Even my eye had a hard time locating it.

- With a stronghold this big, they can take over the Battle Nexus anytime, what's holding them back? - Leo asked.

- It is probably thanks to the barrier of the Daimyo - Usagi guessed - And do not forget that he possesses the War Staff which they all fear.

- Alright, now that we got a good look of what they have, can we get a move on here? - Raph was practically jumping between his feet.

- If you want to rush in there and be the first victim of the War Staff, be our guest.

Tenten's remark cooled the hothead turtle down a little, which also raised another question to them all: how to retrieve the most powerful weapon in this multiverse?

- It takes years of experience and a great deal of power to control the staff - Leo speculated, remembering how the weapon got out of control in the wrong hand - I don't think they can handle it efficiently, giving the short time we allow them.

- It can be more dangerous that way - Neji shook his head - If they can't control it, should it go berserk we'll all be in danger.

- But the more we wait, the more they'll know how to solve that problem - Lee argued - I suggest we strike now. The chance of success would be higher.

Everyone went silent to think over what Lee said, even Raph. The Konoha ninjas were all in the unknown about how powerful the staff can be, while the turtles still couldn't shake of the chill experiencing its power first hand. Suddenly, Mikey perked up:

- Neji, can you see any other entrance?

- Many. They probably use them as escape routes in case of danger, but the closest is still far away from here.

- Ooookay. I think we can work this out. All we need is a diversion.

- What do you have in mind, Mikey? - Leo arched an eyebrow, but all he received was a confident smirk...

:::

- Be quick with it, sorcerer! - The shadow clan leader demanded - We have little time before they come after us.

- Please be patient my lord, I'm working with my best effort here.

Even saying that, the shadow sorcerer's progress in controlling the War Staff was irritably slow for his leader's impatience. They both grew more frustrated with every passing minute, and the assassin lord was all but to rip his subordinate's head out to control the weapon himself. He was about to burst another urge when the shake of the whole lair sent them both to the ground. Moment later, an assassin minion rushed in, only to be choked by his angry superior:

- Insolent fool! I specifically ordered not to be disturbed under ANY circumstance! - He growled.

- Ack... my lord... the kame...

That last word caused the hand of the mighty assassin to tighten, blocking the next word and also cut off the poor minion's way of breathing.

- Impossible! How could they discover this place so soon?

He yanked the sorcerer by the neck, dragging them both outside the dark room, only to be welcomed at the sight of the turtles, along with their Konoha ninjas friends, laying waste to his hideout.

- YOU! - He roared - How dare you...?

- What? If ya think we didn't wanna take that staff back, ya got another one coming! - Raph cut him off.

- Don't even think you can escape my eyes, filthy assassin! - Neji struck down another incoming enemy - Return what you have stolen, and your life will be spared!

The assassin leader's eyes boiled with anger. He pushed the sorcerer forward despite his poor minion cowering in fear. The sorcerer knew he had no choice, so he simply pointed the War Staff toward the turtles, concentrating on unleashing its power.

- Watch out! We can't let him use that thing! - Tenten shouted out the obvious.

The young kunoichi launched a handful of shuriken at the dark creature, only to be reflected back by a crimson barrier.

- I did it, master! - The sorcerer cried in triumph - We have the War Staff under control.

- Excellent! Now KILL THEM ALL!

Blasts of dark red energy shot out from the tip of the staff, meeting the retrieving team head on. Don punch hard on the ground, and a stone wall erected just in time to block the incoming attack. It soon crumbled by the devastating force, but the turtles and the ninja team had enough time to scatter around, continuing to advance and distract the sorcerer. The shadow leader joined the fray immediately and tackled Leo, but he was blasted away by a simple lightning bolt. He didn't even have time to fall to the ground, cause Neji's kick in mid-air sent him to the opposite direction.

The sorcerer continued shooting out energy beam, but he did more damage to the lair instead of his enemy, since Lee, Mikey and Tenten were too fast for him to keep up. The red clad and the purple clad turtles seemed to be easy targets at first, but the impenetrable emerald skin and the rock armor Don used to cover himself proved otherwise. Both of them advance at a steady pace toward the dark wizard, occasionally knocking away any blast he sent toward them.

The shadow clan leader took in the battlefield before him with a furious eye, before turning to Leo and Neji. He vaporized himself and shrouded them both, forcing them to stand back to back. Neither could do any harm to him at this state. Neji covered his face with one hand:

- Don't inhale the smoke, Leonardo-san! The dark ki can be poisonous.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the Hyuuga prodigy. He looked down to see his side was dyed in red. Two sharp blades shone in the dark creature's hands, dripping with his blood.

- You will all perish here, pathetic maggots! - The triumphant voice rung around them.

- We'll see about that! - Leo countered, and focused on his inner power.

Light from the blue lightning on his body shone brighter than ever, but he still maintained the turtle form. Don's theory was correct, for out of the corner of his eye, Leo saw the light on his brothers resonated with his own, flickered and strengthened their abilities. The assassin could see what's happening as well and dove in to take Leo out, but Neji jumped in between and chopped the blades off with his chakra-covered hand.

- Do not stop no matter what, Leonardo-san!

- Not when you're bleeding like that! Stay back! I'll take care of him!

Not even wait for Neji to argue, Leo shot a fist pass the boy's face and straight to the dark cloud surrounding them. A painful cry pierced their ears as the smoke recoiled and solidified back to be the assassin leader, one hand clutched over his chest.

- How... how can this be...?

- You don't need to know about that! - Leo countered, though he didn't know the answer himself either - Give it up, or we'll have to end this the hard way.

The shadow master looked over his sorcerer and those jumping around him. His chest wouldn't stop throbbing from the searing pain. He yelled to the dark wizard:

- Sorcerer! Assist me! Give me power from the War Staff!

The sorcerer stared down at his battered master, his hands moving on their own in controlling the War Staff, which was getting more and more accurate with the attack to suppress the turtles and the Konoha ninjas. He spoke, his voice dropped an octave:

- I shall assist you, master... to send you to the AFTERLIFE!

A red beam of light burst out from the staff and hit the assassin leader right on his chest before the stunned eye of everyone. The dark creature made a perfect arc, then hit the ground hard, unmoving. Leo immediately grabbed Neji:

- He's gone out of control! We need to get you out of here!

- It's only a light wound, I'll be fine - Neji tried to push him away, one hand clutching over his side to stop the bleeding - You should keep distracting him.

- I'm not leaving you alone like this. Get over here!

Despite the white boy's resistance, Leo hauled him over to a corner with not much obstruction, since the remaining assassins had started to panic due to the sorcerer's mutiny. He put Neji down as gently as he could manage while the boy still thrashing around.

- Stay put, or your wound will get bigger. I don't want to explain to your sensei if you give out on us.

Just to make sure, right when Neji was about to stand up again, Leo swiftly struck his pressure points, immobilized him. pulling out the shell cell, he called out to his brothers:

- Raph, Mikey! Keep the sorcerer busy! Donnie, I need you to barricade Neji here.

Don now had to dodge the blasts coming from the War Staff, but with just one punch to the ground, rock start to form around Neji, hiding him from undesired attention and the misfire. Now Leo could get back to the battlefield without worry. He charged up his mystic power, and shot a lightning bolt to the dark wizard. The bolt met another red beam and they dispersed each other. Raph called up to the sorcerer:

- Not much of a loyal dog now right, when ya got a weapon like that?

- Do not mock me kame! I will let you join my former leader soon, and then I can take over this multiverse!

As if he went berserk, the rebellion wizard wave the staff to make an arc, and the shockwave sent everyone to the opposite side of the lair. Tenten snapped:

- Nice going, tough guy! The last thing we need is for him to go wild!

- Hey! We need ta keep occupied, remember?

- Everyone watch out! - Mikey yelled - Here he comes again!

- Not if we can help it! - Leo reassured them - Change of plan: Hit and run!

The gang got back on their feet and scattered around immediately, evading the deadly beam by a hair's breath. Lee and Mikey practically bouncing off the walls, driving the sorcerer furious for missing them constantly. His others targets weren't an easy lot either, since he had to shield himself from the onslaught of Tenten and Don. In the meantime, Leo had dragged Raph back much to the hothead's confusion:

- What are ya doing? I ain't gonna be left out from this fun.

- I know, that's why I just want to give you this.

Without any more word, Leo put his hand on Raph's plastron. Both flame and lightning burst up from their bodies, the blue clad turtle had to gather till the last ounce of his mind to control the resonance of ki.

- Now we're talking! - Raph punched the air in excitement and bolted to the middle of the sorcerer's counterattack, barely caught what his brother said from behind:

- Remember the plan, Raph! Try not to kill him!

The columns of fire and lightning were hardly missed by the dark wizard. Seeing the red clad turtle advanced toward him with a steadfast pace and a smugly grin of his face, he ignored the rest of the retrieving team and pointed the staff at Raph. Dark red lightning started gathering around its tip, and shortly after a huge beam of red light shot out from it, meeting the emerald ninja head on. Raph just calmly held up his hand, the red light blasted right at him.

BOOM!

The shockwave drew cracks to the lair. Don gasped:

- Leo! What were you thinking? Why didn't you stop him?

- Because I don't have to - Leo answered confidently - Look!

Smoke sizzled around Raph's hand and the ground where he stood, but other than that, there's nothing else indicating that he was hit by the most powerful weapon in the Battle Nexus. Leo gathered up two more shot on each hand and signaled for Don and Mikey to meet him. with just one clap of hand, purple and orange light enveloped the two. Mikey swiftly vanished, the only trace left was his ecstatic cry "Cowagunga". Don covered himself with the rock armor much harder than the previous one, but then he noticed something strange from his blue clad brother:

- You're overdoing it again, aren't you? - He narrowed his eyes as Leo wiped a beans of sweat off his face - You're paler than usual.

- This is nothing. What matters is we hold him long enough. Now DUCK!

They pushed each other out of trajectory of another beam, then launched their own signature attack simultaneously at the sorcerer. The wicked mage had no problem blocking them all, but he grown frustrated with each passing second, since he could do little to no damage to those invading their lair. The constant movement and dodging caused him to miss most of the time, result in the lair itself taking the blasts. Tightened the grip on the War Staff, he slowly let his mind be consumed by rage, and the staff's crimson glow started to turn dark purple. Its light intensified as the turtles and Konoha ninjas kept jumping around without trying to snatch the weapon away from the dark being. If he couldn't destroy them one by one, then it's better to wipe them all out in one shot.

Suddenly, a sphere of darkness engulf both him and the staff, the next thing they knew, all those around him, assassin or ninja alike were blown away in a frightening explosion. Raph was all but shocked when he himself was swept off his feet and met the far end wall with a bone crushing thud, along with his brothers and friends. The unfortunate assassins caught in the explosion were all gone, vanishing into thin air. Around them, debris and rubble came crumbling down from the wasted underground cave. Sunlight made its way to them, shining the sorcerer in the middle of it all, his body wrapped by dark purple light. He cried ecstatically:

- NO ONE CAN STOP ME NOW! NOT EVEN THE ALMIGHTY DAIMYO!

Tenten clutched at her side, some ribs might have been broken:

- How come he's gotten so powerful all of a sudden? I thought that thing can't be controlled that easily?

- It must have something to do with his dark power - Don straightened himself up with his bo staff, the rock armor long since gone - it caused the staff to go haywire and it affected his mind as well, making him gone berserk.

- And the first victim was his leader, figures - Raph spat out some blood.

All of them somehow managed to pull themselves together and got back up, but the sight of destruction around them, plus the energy gathering around the dark wizard for another shot made all hope withered away. Without saying, each darted their eye to Leo, then to Neji who wasn't protected enough, blown toward them in the process, looking for some kind of instruction. But Neji was hardly conscious, and Leo got nothing on his mind. He made a promise to Lee and Ue not to use the backup plan until the last minute, but if this wasn't the last minute, when would it be then?

- Farewell, kame. You've been thorns in our eye long enough - The sorcerer cried, raising the staff high above his head.

- Not so fast, assassin! - A voice from behind pulled him back to reality.

The sorcerer spun around just in time to receive a kick right in the middle of his face, at the same time a pair of hands reached out and yanked the War Staff from him. The mage flew a remarkable distance, before landing hard on the dirt and skidding to a stop with his face buried deep to the soil. Standing where he was before was Usagi and Ue, the young warrior's hand gripped tight around his father's weapon.

- Took ya long enough! - Raph scoffed.


	12. Chapter 12

_Flashback: A moment before the attack..._

_- That's... brilliant, Mikey - Don was almost speechless - Crazy, but brilliant._

_- I agree with the crazy part - Leo crossed his arms, looking amused - What do you guys think?_

_They all nodded in agreement with the plan of the sea green turtle. The whole gang would barge in and flip the shadow lair upside down, drawing attention, while a small group sneaked in from another entrance and snatched the War Staff when opportunity provided. Raph had no problem with the role to break and smash things, so did the others. However, one of them had something to add:_

_- The plan would be foolproof, Michelangelo-san - Ue looked up to him - But I need to ask you all a favor: I must be the one to retrieve the staff._

_- No way, kid! - Raph squashed the idea almost immediately - This ain't a school field trip. Ya gotta stay put and we'll cover for ya._

_The red clad mutant was reluctant enough to have a kid accompany the team, but this was way out of line. Lee and Usagi, on the other hand, thought otherwise:_

_- The other entrance is far away from here, no doubt heavily guarded to prevent intruder - Usagi stepped up to Ue - Are you certain of what you wish to do?_

_- You will have to fight enemies who can resort to dirty trick without a second thought, and they will, by all means, try to kill you - Lee stared at him with a neutral look - Are you prepared for what to come?_

_Instead of answering right away, the young warrior unsheathed his katana, pointing the tip at the dark entrance. With a voice as calm as morning dew, he said:_

_- No matter who stands in my way, I will cut them down and move forward. I will take back my father's War Staff, or die trying._

_- Geez, come on! - Raph threw his hands up in exasperation - Ya can't be serious ta listen ta this drama king, can ya?_

_His complain was cut short by a glare from a green ninja, a samurai, the young warrior, and his blue clad brother. Leo walked up to Usagi:_

_- I don't know if I should agree to this, but are you sure telling him all that would help?_

_- Funny, Leonardo-san - Usagi smiled - When Lord Noriyuki asked you to help him save Tomoe and confront Hebi, you agreed without hesitation. Where is that Leonardo, I wonder?_

_- I'm still here, but Hebi's goon are nowhere near as dangerous as these shadow assassin._

_- The same goes for me - Ue countered - I doubt I'm the same as that Noriyuki you're speaking of. Can I trust you, my friend, to buy me enough time for me to achieve my goal?_

_Leo took a good look at his once nemesis. There's absolute purity in his eyes, but the determination to win, to move forward despite all odds still burned in them like when he was the Ultimate ninja. If he denied Ue this chance, like his father did, the boy might very well follow his old self's mistake._

_- You can count on me, Ue-sama. All I ask in return is that you proceed with care._

_- He won't be alone on his quest. I shall accompany him - Usagi put a hand on the boy's shoulder._

_Raph could see that he had no chance to convince them otherwise, and time was ticking by fast. What's done is done. The least he could do was to go all out for his brothers and his friends..._

_...End flashback._

:::

The dark mage pulled his head off from where he plowed the ground with his face, throwing a disgusting look at those ambushing him from behind. Ue and Usagi were both a bit battered after taking down all the guards from the other way in, yet they both looked more energetic than ever. Ue slammed the staff to the ground, sending a light tremor through it.

- It is over, assassin! Turn yourselves in, and my father may spare your lives.

- If you assume I would quietly surrender, you are greatly mistaken, boy! - The sorcerer spatted.

- You are outnumbered and disarmed - Usagi pointed his katana at the dark creature - Do not be unreasonable and make this difficult for all of us.

- Why do ya need ta show these guys any mercy? - Raph couldn't stand the sight - They kept trying ta take over this multiverse, for God's sake!

- If we slay them, Raphael-san, we are no better than them - Neji breathed out, regaining consciousness - I thought your sensei taught you better?

- That is very generous for all of you, oh noble ones - The sorcerer mocked, his face contorted with disgust - But you should not forget who you are dealing with.

With a sudden wave of his hand, dark light erupted from out of nowhere. Seconds later, the Konoha ninjas and the turtles found themselves bound, sealing handcuff clasped tightly around their wrists.

- Not again! - Tenten gritted her teeth as she felt chakra drained from her - Guys! Don't focus your ki, you'll be knocked out!

- NOW YOU SEE? I'M A SORCERER! NOT JUST A MERE ASSASSIN LIKE MY WORTHLESS LEADER! - The dark mage roared triumphantly - Give me back the staff, or your friends will suffer!

Ue gripped on the staff as he watched his friends withered down in agony. But before he could do anything, Usagi stepped between him and the wicked wizard:

- I know you are in pain as well as our friends - the rabbit samurai whispered - But stay strong! I will distract him for you to free them. Be swift, young Lord!

With that, Usagi left the red-haired boy's side and lunged for the sorcerer. He cried out in disbelief:

- You fool! Do you not care for your friends?

- I do, but you demand for the War Staff, and I do not have it!

The blade in the samurai's hand cut a fine line on the mage's body, but just like his brethren, he quickly vaporized, flying pass Usagi and aiming for Ue. The young warrior ran as fast as his feet could carry him, one hand clutching his father's weapon, the other unsheathing his katana. He immediately went for Neji who was injured the most, face's turning as white as his cloth. With one precise swing, the handcuff was severed and color immediately returned to the Hyuuga's face. Ue was about to turn to the next handcuff when the sorcerer reached him, one hand sparking dark red flame.

- I can't have you do that, young master! I'll have you remember who you truly are!

Before the fireball could reach its target, Usagi had launched himself in between and blocked the attack with his sword.

- Out of my way, samurai! - the dark mage shouted.

- Not in this lifetime! Ue-sama, hurry!

The young warrior hadn't made any step when another force hit both him and Usagi, knocking them both to the side. To all of their shock and the dark mage's terror, the shadow clan leader rose to the air, his eye blazing with anger.

- M-master... you... you're...

- Alive, traitor! - The assassin calmly said - I would be delighted to see your head roll right now, but you have proven useful still for offering me the kames and those good-for-nothing Konoha ninja. Now help me retrieve the War Staff, and I may consider sparing your worthless life.

Usagi and Ue were still dazed by the sudden blow, but they managed to pull themselves together. Ue quickly put the staff to his back and face the leader assassin alongside the rabbit. With their friends immobilized, they were the only hope left...

... Or were they?

With their attention focusing elsewhere, neither the shadow clan leader nor his sorcerer realized a shift of movement in the corner. Neji had dragged himself close to Leo, one hand focusing chakra:

- What are you doing? - Leo hissed - Stop moving! Your wound will get torn even worse.

- I saw... what you did back there... - The boy in white struggled with his breath - You're... our only hope...

Gathering what's left of his chakra, Neji made one final chakra blade on his hand and shattered the handcuff of Leo's.

- I leave... the rest... in your hands... - Came the last of the Hyuuga's words.

The blue clad turtle caught his savior just before his face hit the ground. Neji had passed out due to the blood loss, and with a wound that big on his side, if they wasted anymore time on this battle, they'd lose him. Removing the belt, Leo tied it around the bleeding wound for a make-shift bandage before handing the unconscious Hyuuga to his friends, swiftly freeing them in the process. Turning to his brother, his voice dropped an octave:

- Let's end this, guys!


	13. Chapter 13

The assassin leader and his dark mage slithered their way toward Usagi and Ue, toying with the young warriors. Neither of them realized it until a blinding light engulfed them all, making them turn toward its source. Before their shocking eye were Leonardo and his brothers, a column of blue light enveloped him, his ki resonating with his brothers' and causing the accursed handcuffs to vibrate violently. The weak restrain was no match for their combined, amplified force and soon overloaded with it. One short snap and all four were free. The moment the handcuffs fell from their wrists, three more columns of light joined the first. Together they shot up to the roof of the cave, blasting a huge hole through it and knocking the two vile creatures flat on their backs in the process.

- This is kinda over the top, dontcha think? - Mikey joked, seeing how his body starting to change.

- Maybe, but this is personal - Leo replied before his jaws swelled forward, making him lose his ability to speak.

Raph said nothing as his eyes darted over Tenten and her injured friend. The color had started to come back to Neji's face, probably due to Leo's spiritual mystic ki, but his eye remained closed. Tenten stared at him, the look on the tomboy kunoichi spoke in volume.

_Don't worry about us, just kick their ass!_ - Was what transpired through her eyes.

Raph slightly nodded his elongated neck and head before rising with his brothers. Four mystic dragons floated just above the ground, their eyes shooting dagger toward two shadow beings who were still shocked upon their transformation. The wizard shot an energy ball toward Leo, but it did even less than tickling the blue dragon. The assassin leader furiously grabbed his underling's throat:

- Fool! Can you not see what they have become? Use 'that' spell!

- B-but master, I...

- Do as I say! It's now or never! Unless you want me to execute you right here and now, traitor!

The stuttering mage had no choice but to obey and started to chant. It didn't take an expert to see that what they were about to do could be lethal, so four dragons lunged at them, but the shadow clan leader shrouded them both in dark smoke, evading those razor sharp teeth by a hair's breath. Ue and Usagi used this time of distraction to find their way back to the Konoha ninjas. Lee had unwrapped his bandage and tied it around Neji's wound, while Tenten chewed off some soldier pills and fed it to her unconscious friend. The make-shift bandage did little to halt the blood flow, and the medicine showed no apparent effect.

- I may not to be much help, but I shall take care of him - Usagi suggested.

- All of you are on a different level compared to us - Ue added - Join them in battle, and save us all from whatever that assassins was planning to do.

Tenten and Lee looked at each other and then at the dispersing black smoke. If there's something they wanted to do right now, it was to pay back for what those creatures did to their comrade. Carefully slid Neji to Usagi's arms, the two remaining members of team Gai stood up, drawing out their weapon and inner chakra. They were ready to face their enemies, but... in what form?

- Where are those two? - Lee looked around, unable to locate neither the assassin nor the wizard.

The four dragons had the same thought as well, since they too were straining their eyes to look for anything out of place.

- Lee-kun, don't you think this place is getting darker and darker? - Tenten narrowed her eyes, trying to see pass the dark.

- I can see it as well. This is definitely their doing. But can it be that simple? Do they want to blind us?

As if to answer his question, a voice boomed throughout the wasted lair, making both the ninjas and the dragons jumped.

- IT IS TOO LATE, SCUM! MY BRETHREN AND I ARE NOW MERGED WITH THE SHADOW COMPLETELY. THANKS TO YOU FOOLISH KAME TO PROVIDE US THE DARKNESS WE NEED.

All of them looked up to see the hole they made had revealed them to the surface, and right now outside was...

- Nighttime? - Lee said in disbelief.

- TIME FLIES WHEN YOUR MIND ARE OCCUPIED, DOESN'T IT? NOW I SHALL REWARD YOU FOR CAUSING MY CLAN SO MUCH TROUBLE.

The mocking voice seemed to be coming from everywhere around them, causing confusion. Furthermore, the darkening scene only made them all the more agitated and panic, except for one. As they were being plunged into the darkness, Leo raised his head and aimed it downward. Blue flame burst out from his mouth and came out erupting. The light from it illuminated him and his brothers. Raph immediately caught up and spitted out lava, joining the light with Leo's.

- IT IS FUTILE, KAME! YOUR FEEBLE PURIFICATION LIGHT IS NO MATCH FOR OUR DARKNESS!

- We'll see about that! - Tenten called out to the void, unleashing her scroll - Lee! Slingshot!

The boy in green knitted his fingers together, forming a leverage for the kunoichi. Tenten held the scroll by her side, and the moment she stepped on Lee's hand, she suddenly felt herself launched up high toward where the hole to the surface was supposed to be. Spinning fast in the air like a bullet, Tenten gripped on the side of the scroll and let it fly free around her, allowing everything sealed inside to be released. A chain of explosion blasted into the darkness, its light formed the shape of a dragon spiraling up toward the sky.

- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, GIRL? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

The scream of pain following it only proved that she indeed inflicted some damage, and the light coming from her attack briefly showed them the way out. With the light as protection, Mikey descended down, carefully rolled their friends onto his vast carapace, then followed his brothers out before the dark engulfed them again. But they were far from victory.

- YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE! WE WILL HAVE OUR REVENGE!

If anyone of them could make out some faint stars up above, now everything turned pitch black. Even the light coming from the flame was reduced to a weak glow, not to mention the dragons couldn't keep it up forever. Tenten was about to unleash another chain of exploding tags when something grabbed hold of her arms, and something else strangled her neck. Her friends and comrades seemed to suffer the same fate.

- YOU ARE FIGHTING THE WHOLE SHADOW CLAN HERE! DON'T YOU EVEN DREAM ABOUT WINNING!

Raph shook his head and snapped his jaws around, but the tentacles made of darkness just tightened the grip and choked him even worse. Mikey was turned upside down, but Lee held on, adhering his feet to the hard carapace with chakra. On each of his hand were Ue and Usagi, with Neji's dangling in the rabbit samurai's arm.

- WE WILL CONSUME YOU ALL UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT! AND THEN THIS ENTIRE MULTIVERSE!

- This guy... sure love to talk - Tenten struggled to free herself without much success.

From afar she could hear Ue and Usagi yelling something, but they were too far to make out anything, and the fact that her mind's slipping away didn't help either. The corner of her eyes caught sight of her turtle friends in their mighty dragon form, strangled by darkness itself.

_"R...right..."_

- Wha...? Neji? - The tomboy kunoichi stopped in her track, her teammate's voice ringing in her ears.

_"The core... of the leader... is on your right. About 15 degree downward."_

Neji's voice was rough and broken through the radio, but Tenten could definitely hear him loud and clear. The Hyuuga boy had regained conscious and used his Byakugan to pinpoint the source of all this darkness.

- EVERYONE! Focus your attack here! - The kunoichi yelled out, burning the last precious air in her lungs and throwing her scroll into thin air as far as her restrained body allowed it.

The scroll unwrapped itself, pouring everything it contains to where the essence of the shadow clan leader should be. The scream of agony echoed around them only indicated that Tenten had hit her target. Leo let another wave of blue flame bursted out, severing the dark tentacles to free himself and his brothers.

_"It moved..."_ - Neji panted, his chest felt like it weight a ton, but the veins popping around his Byakugan never subsided - _"...right below us. 30 degree to Leonardo-san's left."_

Tenten relayed her friend's direction, since all four turtles had transformed, their shell cells were lost, but all four dragons whipped their head toward the core of the assassin leader in a heartbeat and simultaneously shot their flame.

- AAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH! NO, NO, NO! HOW DID YOU FIND OUT WHERE I AM?

To the dark being's horror as he fled, Neji once more located him with even more accuracy. Don let out a roar and a wall of ice swiftly encased around the core, imprisoning and freezing him at the same time.

The pitch black veil suddenly lifted, revealing them floating high in the sky. Light from the stars and moon reflected on their armored skin, and to their relief, the assassin leader had reverted back to his original form, his face marred with terror. Around them, bodies of the assassins fell and evaporated to thin air even before they touched the ground. The moment they breathed out in relief was also the moment the four turtles shrunk back to their original forms. Gently glided down before their mystic avatar disappeared, all four landed safely with an injured Neji, his teammates and their friends from the multiverses:

- That was cutting a little too close, dontcha think? - Raph patted the dirt off of him.

- If it wasn't for Neji, we might never cut it at all - Don contemplated, walking over to check on the white boy's wound.

- Now that we got their leader in an icicle, can we go home now? I'm tiiiired!

All of them couldn't agree more with Mikey suggestion. Looking back, they had fought the entire shadow clan for god knows how long, and if their eyes didn't deceive them, the faint light of dawn had started to show from the horizon. Leo eased himself in to support one side of Neji, leaving Ue to take care of the War Staff:

- Thank you Neji. We couldn't have done it without you.

- Don't be too humble, Leonardo-san. Your dragon form is what saved us all. Let's heed Michelangelo-san's word and go home together.

Everyone nodded and set to a slow stroll toward the Daimyo's castle, Lee and Don taking care of pushing the block of ice containing the assassin leader back, feeling relief that the whole crisis was over...

... Until Neji suddenly shoved Leo away:

- LEONARDO-SAN! LOOK OUT!

That was all the Hyuuga genius could remember as a beam of light piercing him from behind, followed by a searing pain and the scream of his friends. After that, everything went black…

* * *

**A/N:** A tribute for Neji Hyuuga's noble sacrifice in the original manga... Rest in peace, my hero...


	14. Chapter 14 - End

For Neji Hyuuga, it all happened in less than a blink of an eye, but for his companions and new made friends, everything went excruciatingly slow before their eyes. The dark light beam drilled a perfect circle on his chest, the empty void quickly filled with the color of crimson and tainting the pure white of his cloth. A pair of bandage-less arms caught his limping body before it hit the cold hard dirt, and a roar of rage shattered the tranquility of dawn. Raph stormed over the culprit like a tornado, emerald fingers encased around the neck of the shadow sorcerer.

- HOW DARE YA!? - He howled.

- Serves you right... insects - The dark wizard choked, coughing out black blood - Enjoy... the sight of your friend's... death...

With that, what's left of his shadow body evaporated into the wind, leaving the warrior ninja's hand gripping thin air. Raph spun back at the sight of the white eye boy in the arms of his comrades, Tenten's tear streaming down her battered cheeks:

- No! Please Neji! Don't do this to us! - She desperately beg, holding his hand in her own shaking ones.

- You can't die here, Neji-kun. We haven't settled our match yet! - Lee lightly shook the limp body of his friend and rival, trying his best to hold back the tear.

- We have to do something! Anything! - Ue urged.

- Leonardo-san, please! - Tenten turned to him - When you transformed, your light healed him. Please save him!

Leo didn't even need for her to ask. He immediately kneeled down next to Neji and focused his ki, one hand hovering above the fatal wound. Blue lightning mark started to spread over him, but its light was no more than a weak glow. It flickered for a short moment, then dimmed for everyone's despair. Leo could feel the mystic ki drained from him, but he refused to give up. Shutting his eyes, the blue clad turtle called up till his last neuron to concentrate. His body screamed its protest, but Leo ignored them all. Even if he was to collapse, as long as Neji was saved, he didn't give a damn.

- Come on... come on... - The repeating mantra flowed out Leo's gritted teeth, encouraging himself.

The light shone and flickered once more, but the healing effect, as Tenten had seen, did nothing to heal the bleeding wound.

- We should all join in - Don suggested - Leo's exhausted. We have to do this together.

All three of his brothers swiftly sat around him in lotus position, and focused. In the astral plane, Leo could feel three more streams of ki flowing to his, pouring in what's left of their energy to save their friend, while his own desperately search for a weak, dimming ki, the one which belong to Neji. Sitting beside them, Tenten, Lee, Ue and Usagi could do nothing but pray for them in a hopeless race against death...

:::

_Where... where am I...?_

_Why is everything so dark...?_

_Am I... death?_

Neji found himself wandering around in the dark, his famous Byakugan saw nothing but a pitch black veil. Memroy started flowing back to his mind, and he realized he no longer existed in the realm of the living. The Hyuuga prodigy unconsiously put a hand over his chest, only to find it completely unscathed. The wound on his side also disappeared, as if it was never there. Panic lurked somewhere in the back of his head, but his concern for his teammates and friends was far greater than that. In the haze of victory, no one noticed the remnant of the shadow sorcerer had landed behind them. If it wasn't for the 360 degree vision of his Byakugan, Leonardo would be the one in his place right now, and he would never forgive himself.

_It's better this way_ - He thought - _I'm sorry, Lee-kun. I'll have to miss our rematch._

Continued in a straight line, Neji soon saw from afar a faint glow. The warm light guided him toward it, revealing itself to be the light from a candle. On its other side, a man was sitting there, looking at him with a gentle smile.

- Hello, Neji. - He said.

- Greeting... _chichue_ - Neji respectfully bowed.

Hizashi Hyuuga waved for his son to sit next to him. He looked the same as Neji's last memory of him when he was alive: young and passionate, except for the enduring pain that was no longer there. Both father and son sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company before Hizashi spoke:

- You saw me, knowing where you are, yet you are not afraid.

- Not at all, _chichue_. Ever since you sacrifice for the clan, I was prepared for this day - Neji calmly said.

- It's a shame you have to come here at such a young age - His father replied with a sad smile - There's so much your eye have yet to see.

- I suppose so, but then, if my life can save another, I bear no regret.

- Just like me when I died for your uncle - Hizashi crossed his arms - I see a different look in your eyes, Neji. Did something happen?

- I came a long way, and it took me a lot to realize how blind I've been.

- I'd like to hear all about that, son. We have all the time in the world.

And so Neji told his father about the unique rival that was Lee and Naruto, how the blond, gusty ninja in orange suit had opened his eye and erased the grudge between him and the main branch with just one punch. Then there was the epic rescue of a fallen friend who was lost in the path of darkness, Sasuke Uchiha. Lastly, the strange showdown between his team and the turtles, along with the retrieval mission which result in him coming here, joining his father in the afterlife. Hizashi listened closely without saying a word, his face brimming with pride.

- ... And before I knew it, I'm already here - Neji concluded his story.

They both fell silent afterward, letting the story linger around. Hizashi contemplated over his son's adventure, knowing that from now on, the Hyuuga clan would never be the same.

- My only regret is that I left you alone, knowing that you'd hold a grudge against Hiashi and Hinata, but now I can be at peace. I'm proud to call you my son, Neji Hyuuga.

- And I'm glad that I was born your son, _chichue_ - Came the reply.

The light from the candle, after the long story, had started to dwindle. Its flickering light drew both the Hyuugas' attention.

- I think it's time for us to move on, son. - Hizashi stood up, along with Neji.

- Yes, _chichue_. We can finally rest in peace.

As both father and son set to a slow stroll, a warm disturbance in the air washed over them, making them turn around. A faint stream of light coming from above approached them, with voices echoing from afar.

- ... Neji...

- ... Neji-kun...

- Did you hear that? - Hizashi turned to his son.

- Yes, _chichue_. Someone is calling me.

As they were still marveling at the light, it suddenly burst out, enveloping them both.

- Neji! Come back here ya son of a bitch! - A rumbling voice shook them to the core - Don't make me go there and kick yer ass!

- I assume this is the Raphael you spoke of? - Hizashi said, looking amused.

- Yes. He has a rather... colorful language - Neji couldn't help but chuckle.

- Hurry up Neji-san! I cannot keep this up for much longer - Ue's strained voice came next.

- I will never forgive you if you give up on us! - Lee yelled.

Followed with the endless calling was a hurdle of ki. It wrapped around the white boy and pulled him further away from his father.

- I'm sorry chichue. - Neji resisted the force, trying to stay with Hizashi for a few seconds more - It seems I have unfinished business there.

- Then go, son. It still too soon for you to be here anyway. Go! Go and make your own destiny! - Hizashi called up to him.

- I will! I love you, chichue!

With a strong jerk, the light pulled Neji away.

:::

The crowd all stood on their feet as the Gyoji solidify on the arena, waving his fan to erect the barrier for the ring:

- Welcome to the final round of the Battle Nexus! We deeply apologize for all the suspense and inconvenient. Let us rejoice and welcome our two final contestants!

The crowd's cheer was muffled where the Daimyo was, but for the younglings before him, it was more than enough to fill their heart with fighting spirit.

- Are you both prepared? - The Daimyo asked.

- As prepared as I'll ever be. - Leo bowed.

- Yosh! I'm ready for the final match! Please proceed! - Lee punched the palm of his hand, his face slightly red, probably due to the excitement - Please fight me with everything you have, Leonardo-kun.

- I will hold nothing back. Word of honor! - Came the reply.

- Then fight with all of your power! - The Battle Nexus ruler raised his staff above them - May the best, most honorable warrior wins!

All of them was transported into the spectator area, saved for Leo and Lee who appeared in the ring, just as the magic screen above showed their names:

LEONARDO HAMATO

VS

ROCK LEE

Beside the turtles and Tenten, Usagi eagerly pushed a wheelchair forward, allowing Neji the best view possible. The white eye boy still looked pale from the recovery, but his face immediately brightened up at the sight of his teammate in the ring.

- Thank you, Myamoto-san - Neji said.

- Please, call me Usagi - The rabbit samurai moved to stand beside him - I would not miss this match for anything in the world, were I you, my friend.

- Definitely. I have all of you to thank for that, though.

That didn't even begin to express how grateful Neji was, as he recalled the memory of his resurrection. The pain in his chest as he pried his eyes open was agonizing, but it was gone the moment he saw the faces of his friends, all wore the same relieve expression. A miracle had happened when Ue called forth the power of the War Staff, channeling its energy and linking everyone's ki together. All of it was poured into Leo so he could activate his mystic force. For a brief moment they were even able to connect their conscious, calling Neji back to the world of the living. It was a risk Leo and his brothers had to take, despite their past encounter with Draco and the Ultimate Ninja when they tried to control it. Consider Ue's inexperience, it was truly a miracle.

Don lightly tapped on his shoulder, his face full of concern:

- Are you sure you're well enough? The Daimyo could let you see it in the infirmary anyway.

- I'm alright, Donatello-san. Lee-kun is both my friend and rival. I have to witness this and not missing anything.

- Speaking of him - Tenten frowned, her eyes never left her green teammate - Don't you think he's a little... odd today?

Everyone turned toward Lee as the gong sounded. Leo didn't waste any second to activate the mystic ki, ready for Lee's move. To his confused, the boy in green just stood there, immobile, if he wasn't a bit... swayed.

- Tenten, you don't think - Neji quickly darted his eyes over her.

- I... I think he did it - Tenten mumbled, her face drained of blood.

- What's with him? - Raph asked - He looks like he's drunk.

- Did anybody saw him drinking anything? - Neji asked, his face marred with panic.

- I did - The red clad turtle said, to Team Gai's horror - We went and grab a beer since I saw him a little thirsty. That stuff ain't that strong.

But the reaction from Tenten and Neji told another story. Slowly, Tenten put a hand on his emerald shoulder:

- Raphael-san, what have you done?

- Come again?

Tenten was about to answer when a roar from the crowd cut her off. Within the protected barrier, Leo was doing nothing but staying in defense position. An after-image of Lee could be seen occasionally here and there, but the actual body of the boy was a green blur darting in and out, toying with the blue clad turtle with the speed that put his lightning bolts to shame.

- What's happening? - Mikey widened his eyes in absolute shock - He wasn't that fast when he fights me! And he isn't even using his"gate" thingy!

- It's the alcohol - Neji explained, his face drenched in sweat - Raphael-san, please don't tell me there's alcohol in this 'beer' you speak of.

- Duh, it's just a little, but yeah, there is alcohol in it.

- Just as we feared. Lee reacts extremely bad to alcohol. When he consumes just even a little bit of it, he turns into... that.

Neji motioned his hand to show them. Leo had decided that he'd had enough and switched to offense, but even with Lee completely stood in one place, Leo couldn't land a single hit. Twisting around and leaning over, even bending backward, the drunken boy evaded everything Leo throw at him.

- Lee-kun isn't aware of this himself - Tenten quipped - But he's a genius at drunken fist. If Leonardo-kun can't bring him back to his senses, he's done for.

In the ring, Leo already figured out that he's not fighting the usual Rock Lee. Not only the angular attack oddly reminded him of Mikey, but the brute strength resembled his hothead brother a lot. With this speed and power, Leo could only think of outwitting Lee in order to win. Letting go of his ki, he deactivated the mystic force and took stance. Lee's still swaying around and seemed to attack randomly, but suddenly he lunged forward and threw a punch right at Leo. The forest green turtle swiftly spun on his heel and let the fist slide past him, one hand right over Lee's head, intending to strike the back of his neck. But out of nowhere a foot came up from behind the green boy, and if Leo wasn't quick enough to block it with his free hand, it might landed right at his face. Leo didn't hesitate to bring his hand down, knocking Lee out of consciousness, but his hand chopped into thin air, as Lee's head dropped and out of the chop's trajectory. With the momentum, another foot came up and hit Leo square in the face. Staggering back, Leo rubbed his beak before a grinning Lee.

- Whaaaaatdaya staring at? - The boy slurred - Don't you know it's rude to stare at people?

- Snap out of it Lee, you're drunk! - Leo called out to no avail.

- DON'T JOKE WITH MEEEH! I'm underage, I'm not allowed to drink alcohol!

With that, the green boy launched himself forward, head-butting Leo right in the stomach. Leo didn't waste any moment to grab the boy in a bear hug, immediately let the mystic ki surge up and give Lee a good jolt. But...

- What... do you think... you're doing? - Lee continued to slur, drooling all over Leo.

Using ridiculous flexibility, Lee brought his legs up and locked between them, prying him out of his arms and propelling him back using Leo as stepping stone. The crowd was definitely entertained, since mixed with the cheering, they could make out some laugh at the drunken fist genius.

- Alright Lee - Leo growled, patience going out the window - You asked for it. No more Mr. Nice turtle.

Brought forth the full power of his mystic ki, Leo unsheathed his katana and coated it nicely with blue lightning. He took stance and closed his eyes. Lee's still swaying, one foot kicking another, then the next second, he was gone. Spectators all stood on their feet as the green blur shot around, closing in on the blue clad turtle. Leo was doing his best to maintain maximum power for his katana, all the while follow Lee's movement through his ki. It was embarrassing enough to have a drunkard giving him a hard time, he refused to lose. It was another similar trait he shared with his hothead brother, though he never admit it. This was either sink or swim, he had only one shot.

- Hoooooaaaaarrrhhhhh! - Lee yelled right at his ear, everything else throwing to the wind.

It took the blue clad turtle everything not to flinch and swing his katana. It was just a feint and Lee was still zipping in an unpredictable course, raising the speed and also the heat from the arena. Up above, their friends all but held their breath, praying for the best.

- What's he waiting for? - Raph impatiently slammed s fist to the balcony - Lee can finish him any moment if he don't attack first.

- Leonardo-san has only one chance, he has to time it right - Neji strained his eyes to follow his green teammate - It will end very bad for the both of them if he misses.

Just as Neji finished his sentence, the arena exploded in a roar as Leo struck his katana forward, while the green blur was going on a perpendicular line. The blast smashed a large line on the ring and almost made the barrier collapse. Dust and debris flew everywhere, once again clouding what's going on, to the spectators' disappointment and to the turtles and co's horror, except for the Byakugan user. It happened in split-second, but Neji managed to capture the crucial moment that decided everything. Just before the blade of Leo's katana could do any harm, Lee already punched right to its side, blowing the blast away. With his free hand, the green boy dug his fingers to the ring to halt himself, launching his knee and the rest of his body right to Leo's temple. Before they both collided though, they heard a 'zap' and Leo reappeared on the spectator area, his face still drained from blood, but otherwise unharmed.

- Well, so much for the Battle Nexus Champion. - He breathed out after regaining his composure.

:::

- Rock Lee, Neji Hyuua and Leonardo Hamato. Step forward!

It was the ceremony to celebrate the new champion of the Battle Nexus. Lee still couldn't believe he made it with the state he was in, even after everyone told him how ridiculously amazing he was with his drunken fist.

- For the valiant demonstration of skill and power, I crown you, Rock Lee, the Battle Nexus Champion!

Lee felt a shudder of delight as a wave of applause washed over him, the trophy rested comfortably in his hands. Nevertheless, he won the competition fair and square. Leo even put a hand on his shoulder to congratulate him.

- For the noble sacrifice and unyielding spirit, I hereby award you, Neji Hyuuga and Leonardo Hamato, the Battle Nexus Medal, for unparalleled honour!

Another round of applause even louder cheered for the two young heroes, as the sapphire jewels were hung around their necks. All three bowed to the great Daimyo, then turned around to bask themselves in the glory of the winner's place. Mikey, who sulked just for the sake of losing his chance to become the Battle Nexus Champion, even cheered for Gai's favourite student, along with his brothers and friends.

Not too long after that was the time they all need to return to their own world. Ue tried his best to hold back the tear.

- Next year I'll be joining the Tournament as well. I shall not lose to any of you.

- I wouldn't expect anything less, Ue-san – Leo shook his trembling hand – Thank you, for lending me the power I need to save Neji.

- It was everyone's effort – Tenten reminded him – We can never repay you enough.

- I think I'll return to this Tournament again – Lee nudged Mikey – I'd like to challenge you all again without any interruption.

- Meep – Was all Mikey could manage. There's no way he could win with all these monstrous of a friend like Lee and Neji around.

- Thank you everyone – Leo turned to team Gai one last time, before walking into the dimensional gate – Hope to see you again.

- The feeling is mutual, Leonardo-san – Neji bowed – And it should be us to thank you, for the breath-taking adventure.

They bid each other farewell, closing the final page for their journey in the Battle Nexus multiverse…

… or so they thought.

- WHAT? The Daimyo cut the payment in half? – Tsunade shrieked – That damn old good-for-nothing geezer! How dare he?

- Well… he said it was all a set up, so the mission level would be in class A only, not class S – Gai was seating like crazy in front of a furious Hokage.

- I'm gonna rip his head off – The blond woman almost breathed out fire – SHOW ME THE WAY TO THAT GODDAMN MULTIVERSE!

* * *

**A/N: **That's all, folks. The final chapter. It was fun. Thank you for reading this far until the end. I may be back on some more crossovers ^^


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